FIBER BUNDLE FOR ARTIFICIAL HAIR AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING FIBER BUNDLE FOR ARTIFICIAL HAIR

Abstract

Provided is a method for producing a fiber bundle for artificial hair. The method includes a first cutting process of cutting a first fiber strip obtained by arranging first fibers so that a cut part includes a first linear section extending linearly at an angle of >0 degrees and ≤60 degrees, and a second linear section extending linearly at an angle of ≤120 degrees relative to the first linear section, to form a first cut fiber strip; a second cutting process of cutting a second fiber strip obtained by arranging second fibers to form a second cut fiber strip; and a hackling process of gathering the first and second cut fiber strips in a bundle and hackling the bundle. A total length of the second cut fiber strip is shorter than a length of a shortest first fiber of the first cut fiber strip.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a fiber bundle for artificial hair and a method for producing a fiber bundle for artificial hair.

BACKGROUND ART

Fiber bundles for artificial hair resembling human hair have been used as materials of headdresses such as a hairpiece, a wig, an extension, a braid, and a hairband (for example, Patent Document 1).

• • Patent Document 1: JP 2010-47846 A
  • Patent Document 2: JP 2002-275719 A

Incidentally, there has been known hair for a hairpiece obtained by randomly mixing a plurality of types of hair different in length and color from each other with their respective root aligned at one end and hackling the mixture to make their respective hair tips uneven (for example, Patent Document 2).

According to Patent Document 2, it is possible to make a gradual color change from the root to the tip, and this technique has been considered applicable to a two-tone color hairstyle in which the color clearly changes to different colors on the root side and the tip side.

Therefore, the present inventor has made, on an experimental basis, a fiber bundle for artificial hair obtained by hackling two types of artificial hair fibers different in color and length from each other to cause the color to change to different colors on the root side and the tip side in accordance with Patent Document 2.

The fiber bundle for artificial hair thus experimentally made, however, has a problem that the fiber bundle is wide, the hair end side is spread, and the hair ends are not well-gathered. Further, when the number of times of hackling is increased in order to allow the hair ends to be well-gathered, the hair ends are well-gathered, but there is a problem that it not only takes time and effort, but also a color transition part in which fibers of two colors are mixed becomes wide and blurred, and a two-tone color is not achieved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a fiber bundle for artificial hair capable of producing a fiber bundle for artificial hair with well-gathered hair ends even with a small number of times of hackling as compared with the related art, and a fiber bundle for artificial hair having a small transition part in appearance between two types of fibers and well-gathered hair ends as compared to the related art.

According to one aspect of the present invention for solving the above-described problems, there is provided a method for producing a fiber bundle for artificial hair, the method including a first cutting process of cutting, at a middle section in a longitudinal direction, a first fiber strip obtained by arranging first fibers in a strip shape so that a cut part includes a first linear section extending linearly at an angle of more than 0 degrees and 60 degrees or less, relative to the longitudinal direction, and a second linear section extending linearly at an angle of 120 degrees or less relative to the first linear section, to form a first cut fiber strip; a second cutting process of cutting, at a middle section in the longitudinal direction, a second fiber strip obtained by arranging second fibers in a strip shape to form a second cut fiber strip; and a hackling process of gathering the first cut fiber strip and the second cut fiber strip in a bundle and hackling the bundle, in which in the second cutting process, the cutting is performed so that a total length of the second cut fiber strip is shorter than a length of a shortest first fiber of the first cut fiber strip.

According to this aspect, it is possible to produce a fiber bundle for artificial hair with well-gathered hair ends even when the number of times of hackling is small as compared with the related art.

According to a preferable aspect, in the second cutting process, the cutting is performed so that most ends in the longitudinal direction of the second cut fiber strip include a third linear section extending linearly at an angle between 85 degrees and 95 degrees, both inclusive, relative to the longitudinal direction.

The term “most” as used herein means a part exceeding 50% of the whole.

According to a preferable aspect, in the first cutting process, the cutting is performed at least twice so that both ends in the longitudinal direction of the first cut fiber strip each include the first linear section and the second linear section, and in the second cutting process, the cutting is performed at least twice so that both ends in the longitudinal direction of the second cut fiber strip each include the third linear section.

According to a preferable aspect, both the ends in the longitudinal direction of the first cut fiber strip include a first end and a second end, and the first linear section of the first end is aligned with the second linear section of the second end in the longitudinal direction.

According to a preferable aspect, the first cut fiber strip has a recessed section formed by the first linear section and the second linear section, and a bottom of the recessed section of the first end is aligned with a bottom of the recessed section of the second end in the longitudinal direction.

According to a preferable aspect, a depth of the recessed section of the first end is between 5 cm and 40 cm, both inclusive.

According to a preferable aspect, the first cut fiber strip has a recessed section formed by the first linear section and the second linear section, and a depth of the recessed section is between 5 cm and 40 cm, both inclusive.

According to a preferable aspect, in the hackling process, the first cut fiber strip and the second cut fiber strip are gathered in a bundle so that the second cut fiber strip is positioned inside both ends in the longitudinal direction of the first cut fiber strip.

According to a preferable aspect, in the hackling process, the first cut fiber strip and the second cut fiber strip are stacked so that an overlapped region is formed at a central part in the longitudinal direction to form an in-progress fiber strip, and then the in-progress fiber strip is gathered in a bundle.

According to a preferable aspect, the first cut fiber strip has a recessed section formed by the first linear section and the second linear section, and in the hackling process, the second cut fiber strip is gathered in a bundle so as to be positioned inside a bottom of the recessed section of the first cut fiber strip in the longitudinal direction.

According to a preferable aspect, in the hackling process, the first cut fiber strip and the second cut fiber strip are stacked so that an overlapped region is formed at a central part in the longitudinal direction to form an in-progress fiber strip, and then the in-progress fiber strip is gathered in a bundle.

According to a preferable aspect, in the in-progress fiber strip, a distance between an end in the longitudinal direction of the overlapped region and the bottom of the recessed section of the first cut fiber strip is 5 cm or more.

According to a preferable aspect, a number of times of the hackling in the hackling process is between 3 and 20, both inclusive.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fiber bundle for artificial hair, the fiber bundle including at least two types of fiber groups that are gathered in a bundle, in which the two types of fiber groups include a first fiber group and a second fiber group, the first fiber group includes a plurality of first fibers, a difference between a longest first fiber and a shortest first fiber when 300 first fibers are randomly extracted is 3 cm or more, and an arithmetic mean length is between 10 cm and 180 cm, both inclusive, and the second fiber group includes a plurality of second fibers, and the plurality of second fibers are shorter than a tenth length when 300 first fibers are randomly extracted and arranged in order from shortest to longest; and a mixed region where the first fiber group and the second fiber group are mixed, and an exposed region where the first fiber group is exposed, in which a length of the exposed region is between 0.8 times and 1.5 times, both inclusive, of a difference between the arithmetic mean length of the first fiber group and an arithmetic mean length of the second fiber group when 300 second fibers are randomly extracted.

According to this aspect, the transition part in appearance between the two types of fibers is small and the hair ends are well-gathered as compared with the related art.

According to a preferable aspect, the first fibers are different from the second fibers in at least one of color, material, or cross-sectional shape.

According to a preferable aspect, the first fibers are different in color from the second fibers.

According to a preferable aspect, a length of the mixed region is one-third or less of a length of the exposed region.

According to a preferable aspect, a number of the first fibers constituting the first fiber group is smaller than a number of the second fibers constituting the second fiber group.

The above-described aspects can be mutually dependent, some configurations can be incorporated, or some configurations can be replaced between the aspects as long as the aspects fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

According to the method for producing a fiber bundle for artificial hair of the present invention, it is possible to produce a fiber bundle for artificial hair with well-gathered hair ends even when the number of times of hackling is small as compared with the related art.

According to the fiber bundle for artificial hair of the present invention, the transition part in appearance between the two types of fibers is small and the hair ends are well-gathered as compared with the related art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a fiber bundle for artificial hair of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the fiber bundle for artificial hair shown in FIG. 1, the fiber bundle for artificial hair being spread.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an in-progress fiber strip constituting the fiber bundle for artificial hair shown in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams for describing a first fiber strip shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4A being a plan view of the first fiber strip, and FIG. 4B being a plan view of an outline (contour) of a main part of FIG. 4A.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams for describing a method for producing the fiber bundle for artificial hair shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 5A being a plan view when the first fiber strip is formed, and FIG. 5B being a plan view when a second fiber strip is formed.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an in-progress fiber strip of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams for describing a first fiber strip shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 7A being a plan view of the first fiber strip, and FIG. 7B being a plan view of an outline (contour) of a main part of FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of an in-progress fiber strip of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 9A to 9C are diagrams for describing Comparative Examples 1 to 3 of the present invention, FIG. 9A being a plan view of an in-progress fiber strip of Comparative Example 1, FIG. 9B being a plan view of an in-progress fiber strip of Comparative Example 2, and FIG. 9C being a plan view of an in-progress fiber strip of Comparative Example 3.

FIGS. 10A to 10E show captured images of fiber bundle for artificial hair of Examples and Comparative Examples of the present invention. FIG. 10A shows a captured image of Example 1, FIG. 10B shows a captured image of Example 2, FIG. 10C shows a captured image of Comparative Example 1, FIG. 10D shows a captured image of Comparative Example 2, and FIG. 10E shows a captured image of Comparative Example 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

A fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 of a first embodiment of the present invention constitutes a kind of headdress selected from the group consisting of a hair wig, a hairpiece, a weave, a hair extension, braid hair, a hair accessory, and doll hair.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 is a fiber bundle that is obtained by tying a plurality of types of artificial hair fibers 2 (2a, 2b) (hereinafter, also simply referred to as fibers 2 (2a, 2b)) in a bundle with a fixing part 3 and is folded near the fixing part 3 and used, and extends in a predetermined direction as a whole in a folded state.

As shown in FIG. 3, an in-progress fiber strip 5 including a stack of a first fiber strip 10 (first cut fiber strip, first fiber group) and a second fiber strip 11 (second cut fiber strip, second fiber group) is gathered in a bundle and the bundle is hackled to form the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 in a linearly stretched state has both ends in a longitudinal direction misaligned, and ends of the fibers 2 are generally in different positions to allow hair ends to be well-gathered in a brush-like shape.

In the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 of the present embodiment, the first fibers 2a and the second fibers 2b are different in color from each other, and as shown in FIG. 2, the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 that is linearly stretched by removing the fixing part 3 is a two-tone color fiber bundle having an end part and a central part in the longitudinal direction different in color from each other.

In the following description, unless otherwise specified, a state where the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 is linearly stretched is taken as a reference state, and the description will be given with its extending direction taken as a length direction (longitudinal direction).

In the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1, when 300 first fibers 2a are randomly extracted, a difference between the longest first fiber 2a and the shortest first fiber 2a is preferably 3 cm or more, and more preferably 5 cm or more.

In the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1, an arithmetic mean length when 300 first fibers 2a are randomly extracted is preferably between 10 cm to 180 cm, both inclusive, and more preferably 100 cm or more.

In the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1, an arithmetic mean length when 300 second fibers 2b are randomly extracted is preferably shorter than the arithmetic mean length when 300 first fibers 2a are randomly extracted, and is preferably between 60 cm to 110 cm, both inclusive.

In the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1, a length of the second fibers 2b is preferably shorter than the tenth length when 300 first fibers 2a are randomly extracted and arranged in order of shortest to longest.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 includes exposed regions 70a and 70b, mixed regions 71a and 71b, and a middle region 72.

The exposed regions 70a and 70b are regions where substantially only the first fiber group including only the first fibers 2a is exposed, and are regions in color of the first fibers 2a.

In the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1, a length of the exposed regions 70a and 70b is preferably between 0.8 times and 1.5 times, both inclusive, of the difference between the arithmetic mean length when 300 first fibers 2a are randomly extracted and the arithmetic mean length when 300 second fibers 2b are randomly extracted, and more preferably 1.2 times or less of the difference.

Herein “substantially only the first fibers 2a” means that the first fibers 2a occupy 98% or more of the whole fibers.

The mixed regions 71a and 71b are regions where the first fibers 2a and the second fibers 2b are mixed, and are regions where the color of the first fibers 2a and the color of the second fibers 2b are mixed.

Specifically, the mixed regions 71a and 71b are regions where a plurality of first fibers 2a are mixed, in a streak pattern, into the second fibers 2b, and are regions of which color cannot be clearly determined to belong to the color of the first fibers 2a or the color of the second fibers 2b.

A length of the mixed regions 71a and 71b is shorter than the length of the exposed regions 70a and 70b, and is preferably one-third or less or one-fourth or less of the length of the exposed regions 70a and 70b.

The middle region 72 is a region that is positioned between the mixed regions 71a and 71b in the longitudinal direction and where the second fibers 2b are mainly exposed as compared with the first fibers 2a, and is a region having a color substantially the same as the color of the second fibers 2b.

(Artificial Hair Fiber 2)

The artificial hair fibers 2 (2a, 2b) preferably include at least a type of fibers selected from the group consisting of acrylic fibers (AC fibers) such as modacrylic fibers (MODA fibers), polyethylene terephthalate fibers (PET fibers), polyvinyl chloride fibers (PVC fibers), nylon fibers (Ny fibers), and polypropylene fibers (PP fibers).

A cross-sectional shape of the fibers 2 is not particularly limited, and can be, for example, an H-shape, a C-shape, a circular shape, a Y-shape, a U-shape, an X-shape, a flat shape, a horseshoe shape, or the like.

The fibers 2 may be hollow fibers or solid fibers.

The fibers 2 may be crimped by crimping or the like, or need not be crimped.

The number of the first fibers 2a is smaller than the number of the second fibers 2b, and the number of the first fibers 2a is preferably between 0.1 times and 0.5 times, both inclusive, of the number of the second fibers 2b and is preferably 0.3 times or less.

The number of the first fibers 2a is preferably 5% or more, more preferably 10% or more, and still more preferably 15% or more of the number of all the fibers 2a and 2b constituting the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1.

The number of the first fibers 2a is preferably 50% or less, more preferably 30% or less, and still more preferably 25% or less of the number of all the fibers 2a and 2b constituting the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1.

The number of the second fibers 2b is preferably more than 50%, more preferably more than 60%, and still more preferably more than 70% of the number of all the fibers 2a and 2b constituting the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1.

The number of the second fibers 2b is preferably less than 95%, more preferably less than 90%, and still more preferably less than 85% of the number of all the fibers 2a and 2b constituting the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1.

(In-Progress Fiber Strip 5)

The in-progress fiber strip 5 is an in-progress product of the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1, and includes, as shown in FIG. 3, the first fiber strip 10 obtained by arranging the first fibers 2a in a strip shape and the second fiber strip 11 obtained by arranging the second fibers 2b in a strip shape that are stacked in a thickness direction.

(First Fiber Strip 10)

The first fiber strip 10 is a fiber group including only a plurality of first fibers 2a, and is a strip having ends 31, 32 in the longitudinal direction formed in a zigzag shape shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first fiber strip 10 includes a first end region 20, a central region 21, and a second end region 22 in order from one end 31 (hereinafter, also referred to as first end 31) to the other end 32 in the longitudinal direction (hereinafter, also referred to as second end 32).

The first end region 20 is a region extending from the first end 31 toward a middle section in the longitudinal direction, and is a region where triangular wave-shaped protrusions and recesses are formed.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the first end region 20 includes two recessed sections 30a and 30b at a middle section in a width direction.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the recessed sections 30a and 30b are recessed toward the central region 21 in the longitudinal direction, and each include a first inclined section 35 (first linear section) and a second inclined section 36 (second linear section).

Both the first inclined section 35 and the second inclined section 36 are linear sections extending linearly, and intersect at a boundary with the central region 21.

An angle θ1 (angle of a bottom of each of the recessed sections 30a and 30b) formed by the first inclined section 35 and the second inclined section 36 adjacent to each other shown in FIG. 4B is preferably an acute angle, more preferably between 10 degrees and 70 degrees, both inclusive, and still more preferably between 20 degrees and 40 degrees, both inclusive.

A first inclined section 35a of the recessed section 30a and a first inclined section 35b of the recessed section 30b are parallel to each other, and a second inclined section 36a of the recessed section 30a and a second inclined section 36b of the recessed section 30b are also parallel to each other.

A depth of the recessed sections 30a and 30b is preferably between 5 cm and 40 cm, both inclusive, and more preferably between 7 cm and 20 cm, both inclusive.

The recessed sections 30a and 30b may have the same length or different lengths.

The central region 21 is a quadrangular region provided at a central section in the longitudinal direction, and is a region that 95% or more of the first fibers 2a belong to.

A longitudinal length of the central region 21 is preferably 45% or more of the total length.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the second end region 22 is a region extending from the middle section to the second end 32 in the longitudinal direction, and is a region where triangular wave-shaped protrusions and recesses are formed.

The second end region 22 is in line symmetry with the first end region 20. Therefore, components of the second end region 22 that are the same as components of the first end region 20 are denoted by the same reference numerals to avoid the description from being redundant.

The second end region 22 includes two recessed sections 30a and 30b at a middle section in the width direction.

The recessed sections 30a and 30b of the second end region 22 extend in a depth direction toward the recessed sections 30a and 30b of the first end region 20.

The bottoms of the recessed sections 30a and 30b of the second end region 22 are the same in position in the width direction (center line position) as the bottoms of the recessed sections 30a and 30b of the first end region 20.

(Second Fiber Strip 11)

The second fiber strip 11 is a fiber group including a plurality of fibers 2b, and is a strip having a quadrangular shape as viewed from above and having both ends 51, 52 in the longitudinal direction aligned substantially linearly as shown in FIG. 3. That is, in the second fiber strip 11, most of the ends 51, 52 in the longitudinal direction are formed of linear sections 55, 56 (third linear sections) substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.

The linear sections 55 and 56 are sections extending linearly at an angle between 85 degrees and 95 degrees, both inclusive, relative to the longitudinal direction.

Both the linear sections 55 and 56 of the present embodiment are orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.

Here, a positional relationship among the components of the in-progress fiber strip 5 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the in-progress fiber strip 5, the central part of the first fiber strip 10 coincides with the central part of the second fiber strip 11 in the longitudinal direction.

The first fiber strip 10 is longer than the second fiber strip 11 in the longitudinal direction, and the shortest first fiber 2a is longer than the longest second fiber 2b of the second fiber strip 11. That is, both the ends 31 and 32 in the longitudinal direction of the first fiber strip 10 are positioned outside both the ends 51 and 52 in the longitudinal direction of the second fiber strip 11, and are not aligned with both the ends 51 and 52 in the longitudinal direction of the second fiber strip 11.

In the in-progress fiber strip 5, the linear sections 55 and 56 of the second fiber strip 11 are positioned inside the bottoms of the recessed sections 30a and 30b of the first fiber strip 10. That is, the linear sections 55 and 56 of the second fiber strip 11 do not intersect with edges of the recessed sections 30a and 30b of the first fiber strip 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the in-progress fiber strip 5 has an overlapped region 60 where the first fiber strip 10 and the second fiber strip 11 overlap each other, and overhanging regions 61a and 61b where the first fiber strip 10 overhangs the second fiber strip 11.

The overlapped region 60 is a region positioned between the linear sections 55 and 56 of the second fiber strip 11 in the longitudinal direction.

The overhanging regions 61a and 61b are regions that are positioned outside the linear sections 55 and 56 of the second fiber strip 11 in the longitudinal direction and where the end regions 20 and 22 of the first fiber strip 10 and a part of the central region 21 are positioned.

In the in-progress fiber strip 5, a distance from the ends 51 and 52 in the longitudinal direction of the overlapped region 60 to the bottoms of the recessed sections 30a and 30b of the first fiber strip 10 is preferably 5 cm or more, more preferably 10 cm or more, and still more preferably 12 cm or more.

In the in-progress fiber strip 5, the distance from the ends 51 and 52 in the longitudinal direction of the overlapped region 60 to the bottoms of the recessed sections 30a and 30b of the first fiber strip 10 is preferably 50 cm or less, more preferably 30 cm or less, and still more preferably 20 cm or less.

Next, a method for producing the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In the method for producing the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 of the present embodiment, a first cutting process, a second cutting process, and a hackling process are mainly performed in this order.

Specifically, first, as shown in FIG. 5A, the first fibers 2a are arranged in a strip shape to form a first strip 80, and a blade member having a blade 90 extending in a zigzag shape is pressed against the first strip 80 to cut the first strip 80 at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction, so as to form a first fiber strip 10 having ends 31 and 32 formed in a cutting shape of the blade member (first cutting process).

Further, in another process, as shown in FIG. 5B, the second fibers 2b different from the first fibers 2a are arranged in a strip shape to form a second strip 81, and a blade member having a blade 91 extending linearly is pressed against the second strip 81 to cut the second strip 81 at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction, so as to form a second fiber strip 11 having ends 51 and 52 formed in a cutting shape of the blade member (second cutting process).

At this time, in the first cutting process, as shown in FIG. 5A, the cutting is performed so that the cut part includes the first inclined section 35 and the second inclined section 36, and a length of the cut part gradually varies in the width direction of the first fiber strip 10.

Further, in the second cutting process, as shown in FIG. 5B, the cutting is performed so that most of the cut part includes the linear sections 55 and 56 extending linearly at an angle between 85 degrees and 95 degrees, both inclusive, relative to the longitudinal direction, and a length of the cut part is substantially the same at any position in the width direction of the second fiber strip 11.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, after the central part of the first fiber strip 10 in the longitudinal direction is stacked exactly on the central part of the second fiber strip 11 in the longitudinal direction to form the in-progress fiber strip 5, the in-progress fiber strip 5 is gathered in a bundle, and the in-progress fiber strip 5 is dropped onto a hackling table provided with a plurality of rod-shaped parts like a needle-point holder, the in-progress fiber strip 5 is pulled out through gaps of the rod-shaped parts of the hackling table to perform hackling (hackling process), the fixing part 3 is fixedly attached to the middle section of the in-progress fiber strip 5, and the in-progress fiber strip 5 is bent near the fixing part 3 to form the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1.

At this time, in the in-progress fiber strip 5, the hackling causes the positional relationship among the fibers 2 to shift in the longitudinal direction to make the flow of fibers well-organized.

The number of times of hackling is not particularly limited, but is preferably between 3 and 20, both inclusive, and more preferably between 4 and 10, both inclusive, from the viewpoint of aligning the fibers 2 more neatly.

According to the method for producing the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 of the present embodiment, in the second cutting process, the cutting is performed so that a total length of the second fiber strip 11 is shorter than a length of the shortest first fiber 2a of the first fiber strip 10. Therefore, the amount of the fibers 2a and 2b in the overhanging regions 61a and 61b is smaller than the amount in the overlapped region 60, and it is therefore possible to produce the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 with well-gathered hair ends even with a small number of times of hackling. According to the method for producing the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 of the present embodiment, since the number of times of hackling can be reduced as compared with the related art, the width (longitudinal length) of the mixed regions 71a and 71b can be reduced, and it is therefore possible to form the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 that is a two-tone fiber bundle in which the color of the second fibers 2b and the color of the first fibers 2a are clearly distinguished in the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, according to the method for producing the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 of the present embodiment, since the number of times of hackling can be reduced, the production time can be shortened, and the cost can be reduced accordingly.

According to the method for producing the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 of the present embodiment, in the second cutting process, since the cutting is performed so that most of the ends 51 and 52 in the longitudinal direction of the second fiber strip 11 include the linear sections 55 and 56 extending linearly at an angle between 85 degrees and 95 degrees, both inclusive, relative to the longitudinal direction, the width (longitudinal length) of the mixed regions 71a and 71b can be further reduced.

According to the method for producing the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 of the present embodiment, in the first cutting process, the cutting is performed at least twice so that both the ends 31 and 32 in the longitudinal direction each include the first inclined section 35 and the second inclined section 36 to form the first fiber strip 10, and in the second cutting process, the cutting is performed at least twice so that both the ends 51 and 52 in the longitudinal direction include the linear sections 55 and 56, respectively, to form the second fiber strip 11. That is, the blade member having the blade 90 for cutting both the ends 31 and 32 of the first fiber strip 10 can be used in common, and the blade member having the blade 91 for cutting both the ends 51 and 32 of the second fiber strip 11 can be used in common. It is therefore possible to form the in-progress fiber strip 5 in a simple manner.

According to the method for producing the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 of the present embodiment, both the ends in the longitudinal direction of the first fiber strip 10 are the first end 31 and the second end 32, and the first inclined section 35 of the first end 31 is aligned with the second inclined section 36 of the second end 32 in the longitudinal direction. That is, the positions in the width direction of the recessed sections 30a and 30b of the first end region 20 and the positions in the width direction of the recessed sections 30a and 30b of the second end region 22 are aligned with each other, so that the length in the width direction of the first fibers 2a can be changed. It is therefore possible to produce, in a simple manner, the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 with hair ends well-gathered like a brush by the hackling.

According to the method for producing the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 of the present embodiment, in the first fiber strip 10, the recessed sections 30a and 30b are formed by the first inclined section 35 and the second inclined section 36, and the depth of the recessed sections 30a and 30b is between 5 cm and 40 cm, both inclusive. It is therefore possible to reproduce natural hair ends with the fiber amount of the overhanging regions 61a and 61b prevented from being too small.

According to the method for producing the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 of the present embodiment, in the hackling process, since the second fiber strip 11 is gathered in a bundle so as to be positioned inside the both the ends 31 and 32 in the longitudinal direction of the first fiber strip 10 to form the in-progress fiber strip 5, the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 having natural hair reproduced at both the ends can be formed.

According to the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 of the present embodiment, a difference between the longest first fiber 2a and the shortest first fiber 2a when 300 first fibers 2a are randomly extracted is 3 cm or more and an arithmetic mean length is between 10 cm and 180 cm, both inclusive, the second fibers 2b are shorter than the tenth length when 300 first fibers 2a are randomly extracted and arranged in order from shortest to longest, the mixed regions 71a and 71b where the first fibers 2a and the second fibers 2b are mixed and the exposed regions 70a and 70b where the first fibers 2a are exposed are provided, and the longitudinal length of the exposed regions 70a and 70b is between 0.8 times and 1.5 times, both inclusive, of a difference between the arithmetic mean length of the first fibers 2a and the arithmetic mean length of the second fibers 2b when 300 second fibers 2b are randomly extracted. Therefore, the transition part between the two types of fibers 2a and 2b is small as compared with the related art, and the hair ends become well-aligned.

According to the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 of the present embodiment, since the first fibers 2a are different in color from the second fibers 2b, it is possible to form a two-tone appearance.

Next, a fiber bundle for artificial hair of a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the same components as the components of the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals to avoid the description from being redundant. The same applies to the following.

In the fiber bundle for artificial hair of the second embodiment, an in-progress fiber strip 105 is different in shape from the in-progress fiber strip 5 of the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 of the first embodiment.

(In-Progress Fiber Strip 105)

As shown in FIG. 6, the in-progress fiber strip 105 includes a first fiber strip 110 (first cut fiber strip, first fiber group) and the second fiber strip 11 that are stacked in the thickness direction.

(First Fiber Strip 110)

As shown in FIG. 7A, the first fiber strip 110 includes a third end region 140, a central region 141, and a fourth end region 142 in order from one end (first end 131) to the other end (second end 132) in the longitudinal direction.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the third end region 140 includes two protruding sections 151a and 151b at a middle section in the width direction.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the protruding sections 151a and 151b protrude outward from the central region 141 in the longitudinal direction, and each include a first inclined section 155 (first linear section) and a second inclined section 156 (second linear section).

Both the first inclined section 155 and the second inclined section 156 extend linearly, and the first inclined section 155 and the second inclined section 156 adjacent to each other have their respective ends intersecting with each other.

An angle θ2 (angle of a vertex of the protruding section 151) formed by the first inclined section 155 and the second inclined section 156 adjacent to each other shown in FIG. 7B is preferably an acute angle, more preferably between 10 degrees and 70 degrees, both inclusive, and still more preferably between 20 degrees and 40 degrees, both inclusive.

A first inclined section 155a of the protruding section 151a and a first inclined section 155b of the protruding section 151b are parallel to each other, and a second inclined section 156a of the protruding section 151a and a second inclined section 156b of the protruding section 151b are also parallel to each other.

A length of the protruding sections 151a and 151b (protrusion length from the central region 141) is preferably between 5 cm and 40 cm, both inclusive, and more preferably between 22 cm and 26 cm, both inclusive.

The protruding sections 151a and 151b may have the same length or different lengths.

Further, from a different viewpoint, in the third end region 140, the first inclined section 155a of the protruding section 151a and the second inclined section 156b of the protruding section 151b, the protruding section 151a and the protruding section 151b being adjacent to each other, form a recessed section 30 in a manner similar to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the central region 141 is a quadrangular region provided at a central section in the longitudinal direction, and is a region that 95% or more of the first fibers 2a belong to.

A longitudinal length of the central region 141 is preferably 45% or more of the total length.

The fourth end region 142 is a region extending from the central region 141 toward the outside remote from the first end 131 in the longitudinal direction, and is a region where triangular wave-shaped protrusions and recesses are formed.

The fourth end region 142 is in line symmetry with the third end region 140. Therefore, components of the fourth end region 142 that are the same as components of the third end region 140 are denoted by the same reference numerals to avoid the description from being redundant.

As shown in FIG. 7A the fourth end region 142 includes two protruding sections 151a and 151b at a middle section in the width direction.

The protruding sections 151a and 151b of the fourth end region 142 are in the projecting direction away from the protruding sections 151a and 151b of the third end region 140.

Tops of the protruding sections 151a and 151b of the fourth end region 142 are the same in position in the width direction as tops of the protruding sections 151a and 151b of the third end region 140.

Next, a fiber bundle for artificial hair of a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the fiber bundle for artificial hair of the third embodiment, an in-progress fiber strip 205 is different in shape from the in-progress fiber strip 5 of the fiber bundle for artificial hair 1 of the first embodiment.

(In-Progress Fiber Strip 205)

As shown in FIG. 8, the in-progress fiber strip 205 includes the first fiber strip 10 and a second fiber strip 211 (second cut fiber strip, second fiber group) that are stacked in the thickness direction.

(Second Fiber Strip 211)

The second fiber strip 211 includes a first end 231 similar to the first end 31 of the first fiber strip 10, and a second end 232 similar to the second end 32 of the first fiber strip 10.

That is, the second fiber strip 211 includes recessed sections 230a and 230b corresponding to the recessed sections 30a and 30b of first fiber strip 10 at both the ends 231 and 232, and a length of a central region 221 is shorter than the length of the central region 21 of the first fiber strip 10.

In the second fiber strip 211, the recessed sections 230a and 230b are the same in position in the width direction as the recessed sections 30a and 30b of the first fiber strip 10, and the total length of the second fiber strip 211 is shorter than a distance between the bottoms of the recessed sections 30a and 30b of first fiber strip 10. That is, the longest second fiber 2b of the second fiber strip 211 is shorter than the shortest first fiber 2a of the first fiber strip 10.

In the embodiments described above, a recessed section or a protruding section is formed in the fiber strips 10, 110, and 211, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. It is only required that the length of each of the fibers 2a and 2b gradually change, and for example, each end region of the fiber strips 10, 110, and 211 may have a right triangular shape.

In the embodiments described above, the fiber strips 10 and 211 include two recessed sections in each end region, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The number of recessed sections of each end region may be one or three or more.

Similarly, in the embodiments described above, the fiber strip 110 includes two protruding sections in each of the end regions 140 and 142, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The number of protruding sections of each of the end regions 140 and 142 may be one or three or more.

In the embodiments described above, the recessed sections 30a and 30b of the second end region 22 are the same in position in the width direction as the recessed sections 30a and 30b of the first end region 20, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The recessed sections 30a and 30b of the second end region 22 may be different in position in the width direction from the recessed sections 30a and 30b of the first end region 20.

Similarly, in the embodiments described above, the protruding sections 151a and 151b of the fourth end region 142 are the same in position in the width direction as the protruding sections 151a and 151b of the third end region 140, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The protruding sections 151a and 151b of the fourth end region 142 may be different in position in the width direction from the protruding sections 151a and 151b of the third end region 140.

In the embodiments described above, the end regions 20, 22, 140, and 142 each have triangular wave-shaped protrusions and recesses formed therein, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The end regions 20, 22, 140, and 142 may have serrated protrusions and recesses formed therein or may have sinusoidal protrusions and recesses formed therein.

In the embodiments described above, the case where two types of fibers 2a and 2b having different colors are used as the artificial hair fibers 2 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The fibers 2a and 2b may be different in material or cross-sectional shape instead of or in addition to color.

In the embodiments described above, the case where two types of fibers 2a and 2b having different colors are used as the artificial hair fibers 2 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. Three or more types of fibers 2 different in at least one of color, material, or cross-sectional shape may be used.

In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the linear sections 55 and 56 orthogonal to the longitudinal direction are formed all over the ends 51 and 52 in the longitudinal direction of the second fiber strip 11, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The linear sections 55 and 56 orthogonal to the longitudinal direction may be formed over most of the ends 51 and 52 in the longitudinal direction of the second fiber strip 11. In this case, it is preferable that the linear sections 55 and 56 orthogonal to the longitudinal direction are formed over 80% or more of the ends 51 and 52 in the longitudinal direction of the second fiber strip 11.

In the third embodiment described above, the recessed sections 30a and 30b of the first fiber strip 10 are the same in depth in the longitudinal direction as the recessed sections 230a and 230b of the second fiber strip 211, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The recessed sections 30a and 30b of the first fiber strip 10 may be different in depth from the recessed sections 230a and 230b of the second fiber strip 211.

As long as the above-described embodiments fall within the technical scope of the present invention, each component member may be freely replaced or added between the embodiments.

EXAMPLES

Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given of the present invention with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples, but the present invention is not limited to such Examples and Comparative Examples.

Example 1

Modacrylic (MODA) fibers as first fibers were arranged in a strip shape with a width of 36 cm and a weight of 56 g, and cut in a triangular wave shape so that the longest fiber has a length of 107 cm and the shortest fiber has a length of 99 cm, to form a first fiber strip having two recessed sections in each end region as shown in FIG. 5A.

Further, modacrylic (MODA) fibers as second fibers were arranged in a strip shape with a width of 36 cm and a weight of 14 g, and cut linearly so that the second fibers have a length of 71 cm, to form a second fiber strip having linear ends as shown in FIG. 5B.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3, after the first fiber strip and second fiber strip thus formed were stacked in the thickness direction, the first fiber strip and the second fiber strip were gathered in a bundle, four sets of hackling were performed on the bundle, and then the first fiber strip and the second fiber strip were tied with a fixing string to form a fiber bundle for artificial hair. The fiber bundle for artificial hair thus obtained was considered as Example 1.

Note that, for the hackling, a work of gathering fibers in a bundle, passing the bundle through a hackling table nine times, and tying the bundle in the 10th hackling was regarded as one set.

Example 2

Example 2 was the same as Example 1 except that modacrylic (MODA) fibers as second fibers were arranged in a strip shape with a width of 36 cm and a weight of 14 g, and cut in a triangular wave shape so that the longest fiber has a length of 71 cm and the shortest fiber has a length of 63 cm, to form a second fiber strip having two recessed sections in each end region as shown in FIG. 8.

Comparative Example 1

In Example 1, modacrylic (MODA) fibers as first fibers were arranged in a strip shape with a width of 36 cm and a weight of 56 g, and cut linearly so that the first fibers have a length of 102 cm, to form a first fiber strip having linear ends as shown in FIG. 5B.

Further, modacrylic (MODA) fibers as second fibers were arranged in a strip shape with a width of 36 cm and a weight of 14 g, and cut linearly so that the second fibers have a length of 66 cm, to form a second fiber strip having linear ends as shown in FIG. 5B. Comparative Example 1 was the same as Example 1 except for the above.

That is, Comparative Example 1 was different from Example 1 in that both the ends of the first fiber strip and both the ends of the second fiber strip are linear ends as shown in FIG. 9A.

Comparative Example 2

In Example 2, modacrylic (MODA) fibers as first fibers were arranged in a strip shape with a width of 36 cm and a weight of 56 g, and cut linearly so that the first fibers have a length of 66 cm, to form a first fiber strip having linear ends as shown in FIG. 5B.

Further, Comparative Example 2 was the same as Example 2 except that modacrylic (MODA) fibers as second fibers were arranged in a strip shape with a width of 36 cm and a weight of 14 g, and cut in a triangular wave shape so that the longest fiber has a length of 71 cm and the shortest fiber has a length of 63 cm, to form an in-progress fiber strip having two recessed sections in each end region as shown in FIG. 5A.

That is, Comparative Example 2 was different from Example 1 in that both the ends of the first fiber strip are linear ends, and both the ends of the second fiber strip are triangular wave-shaped ends as shown in FIG. 9B.

Comparative Example 3

In Example 2, modacrylic (MODA) fibers as first fibers were arranged in a strip shape with a width of 36 cm and a weight of 56 g, and cut in a triangular wave shape so that the longest fiber has a length of 99 cm and the shortest fiber has a length of 56 cm, to form a first fiber strip having two recessed sections in each end region as shown in FIG. 5A.

Further, modacrylic (MODA) fibers as second fibers were arranged in a strip shape with a width of 36 cm and a weight of 14 g, and cut in a triangular wave shape so that the longest fiber has a length of 71 cm and the shortest fiber has a length of 23 cm, to form a second fiber strip having two recessed sections in each end region as shown in FIG. 5A. Comparative Example 3 was the same as Example 2 except for the above.

That is, Comparative Example 3 is different from Example 2 in that the length of the shortest fiber of the first fiber strip is shorter than the length of the longest fiber of the second fiber strip, and the bottom of each recessed section of the first fiber strip enters into a corresponding recessed section of the second fiber strip, as shown in FIG. 9C.

(Appearance Evaluation)

FIGS. 10A to 10E show captured images obtained by capturing images of the fiber bundle for artificial hair in Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3.

In Comparative Example 1, as shown in FIG. 10C, the hair ends spread outward in a flare shape, the first fibers and the second fibers were mixed over a wide range in the middle section, and the boundary between the section occupied by the first fibers alone and the section where the first fibers and the second fibers were mixed was unclear.

In Comparative Examples 2 and 3, as shown in FIGS. 10D and 10E, the first fibers and the second fibers were mixed over a wide range in the middle section, and the boundary between the section occupied by the first fibers alone and the section where the first fibers and the second fibers were mixed was unclear.

In Examples 1 and 2, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the range in which the first fibers and the second fibers were mixed was small in the middle section, and the boundary between the section occupied by the first fibers alone and the section where the first fibers and the second fibers were mixed was clear. Further, the tips were well-gathered like a brush and made a good appearance.

This result showed that forming the ends of the first fibers in a mountain shape outside the second fibers in the longitudinal direction prevents the first fibers and the second fibers from interfering with each other at the time of hackling, and an appearance with the color boundary clear and the tips well-gathered like a brush is achieved.

EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

• • 1: Fiber bundle for artificial hair
  • 2: Artificial hair fiber
  • 2a: First fiber
  • 2b: Second fiber
  • 10, 110: First fiber strip (first cut fiber strip, first fiber group)
  • 11, 211: Second fiber strip (second cut fiber strip, second fiber group)
  • 30, 30a, 30b, 230a, 230b: Recessed section
  • 31, 131, 231: First end
  • 32, 132, 232: Second end
  • 35, 35a, 35b: First inclined section (first linear section)
  • 36, 36a, 36b: Second inclined section (second linear section)
  • 55, 56: Linear section (third linear section)
  • 70a, 70b: Exposed region
  • 71a, 71b: Mixed region
  • 155, 155a, 155b: First inclined section (first linear section)
  • 156, 156a, 156b: Second inclined section (second linear section)

Claims

1. A method for producing a fiber bundle for artificial hair, the method comprising:

a first cutting process of cutting, at a middle section in a longitudinal direction, a first fiber strip obtained by arranging first fibers in a strip shape so that a cut part includes a first linear section extending linearly at an angle of more than 0 degrees and 60 degrees or less, relative to the longitudinal direction, and a second linear section extending linearly at an angle of 120 degrees or less relative to the first linear section, to form a first cut fiber strip;

a second cutting process of cutting, at a middle section in the longitudinal direction, a second fiber strip obtained by arranging second fibers in a strip shape to form a second cut fiber strip; and

a hackling process of gathering the first cut fiber strip and the second cut fiber strip in a bundle and hackling the bundle,

wherein in the second cutting process, the cutting is performed so that a total length of the second cut fiber strip is shorter than a length of a shortest first fiber of the first cut fiber strip.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the second cutting process, the cutting is performed so that most ends in the longitudinal direction of the second cut fiber strip include a third linear section extending linearly at an angle between 85 degrees and 95 degrees, both inclusive, relative to the longitudinal direction.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein in the first cutting process, the cutting is performed at least twice so that both ends in the longitudinal direction of the first cut fiber strip each include the first linear section and the second linear section, and

in the second cutting process, the cutting is performed at least twice so that both ends in the longitudinal direction of the second cut fiber strip each include the third linear section.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein both the ends in the longitudinal direction of the first cut fiber strip include a first end and a second end, and

the first linear section of the first end is aligned with the second linear section of the second end in the longitudinal direction.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the first cut fiber strip has a recessed section formed by the first linear section and the second linear section, and

a bottom of the recessed section of the first end is aligned with a bottom of the recessed section of the second end in the longitudinal direction.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein a depth of the recessed section of the first end is between 5 cm and 40 cm, both inclusive.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first cut fiber strip has a recessed section formed by the first linear section and the second linear section, and

a depth of the recessed section is between 5 cm and 40 cm, both inclusive.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the hackling process, the first cut fiber strip and the second cut fiber strip are gathered in a bundle so that the second cut fiber strip is positioned inside both ends in the longitudinal direction of the first cut fiber strip.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein in the hackling process, the first cut fiber strip and the second cut fiber strip are stacked so that an overlapped region is formed at a central part in the longitudinal direction to form an in-progress fiber strip, and then the in-progress fiber strip is gathered in a bundle.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first cut fiber strip has a recessed section formed by the first linear section and the second linear section, and

in the hackling process, the second cut fiber strip is gathered in a bundle so as to be positioned inside a bottom of the recessed section of the first cut fiber strip in the longitudinal direction.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein in the hackling process, the first cut fiber strip and the second cut fiber strip are stacked so that an overlapped region is formed at a central part in the longitudinal direction to form an in-progress fiber strip, and then the in-progress fiber strip is gathered in a bundle.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein in the in-progress fiber strip, a distance between an end in the longitudinal direction of the overlapped region and the bottom of the recessed section of the first cut fiber strip is 5 cm or more.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein a number of times of the hackling in the hackling process is between 3 and 20, both inclusive.

14. A fiber bundle for artificial hair, the fiber bundle comprising:

at least two types of fiber groups that are gathered in a bundle, wherein the two types of fiber groups include a first fiber group and a second fiber group, the first fiber group includes a plurality of first fibers, a difference between a longest first fiber and a shortest first fiber when 300 first fibers are randomly extracted is 3 cm or more, and an arithmetic mean length is between 10 cm and 180 cm, both inclusive, and

the second fiber group includes a plurality of second fibers, and the plurality of second fibers are shorter than a tenth length when 300 first fibers are randomly extracted and arranged in order from shortest to longest; and

a mixed region where the first fiber group and the second fiber group are mixed, and an exposed region where the first fiber group is exposed, wherein a length of the exposed region is between 0.8 times and 1.5 times, both inclusive, of a difference between the arithmetic mean length of the first fiber group and an arithmetic mean length of the second fiber group when 300 second fibers are randomly extracted.

15. The fiber bundle for artificial hair according to claim 14, wherein the first fibers are different from the second fibers in at least one of color, material, or cross-sectional shape.

16. The fiber bundle for artificial hair according to claim 15, wherein the first fibers are different in color from the second fibers.

17. The fiber bundle for artificial hair according to claim 14, wherein a length of the mixed region is one-third or less of a length of the exposed region.

18. The fiber bundle for artificial hair according to claim 14, wherein a number of the first fibers constituting the first fiber group is smaller than a number of the second fibers constituting the second fiber group.