Manufacture of pivoting resilient skin contacting members
View Patent ↗A molding process for forming a wet shaving razor including the step of placing one or more of the blades into a first mold cavity. A first generally rigid polymer is injected into the first mold cavity to form a housing and to secure the blades. A second generally rigid polymer is injected into a second mold cavity to form a handle that is adjacent to and spaced apart from the housing of the first mold cavity. A generally flexible polymer is injected into a third mold cavity to interconnect the housing and the handle, wherein the generally flexible polymer forms a gripping portion on the handle and a resilient skin contacting element between the housing and the handle.
1. A molding process for forming a wet shaving razor comprising the steps of:
placing one or more blades into a first mold cavity;
injecting a first generally rigid polymer into the first mold cavity to form a housing and secure the blades to the housing;
injecting a second generally rigid polymer into a second mold cavity adjacent and spaced apart from the housing of the first mold cavity to form a handle; and
injecting a generally flexible polymer into a third mold cavity to interconnect the housing and the handle, wherein the generally flexible polymer forms a resilient skin contacting element between the housing and the handle wherein, the resilient skin contacting element is configured to stretch the skin immediately in front of the blade during a shaving stroke.
2. The molding process of claim 1 wherein a plurality of blades are placed into the first mold cavity.
3. The molding process of claim 1 wherein the two generally rigid polymers are injected simultaneously.
4. The molding process of claim 1 wherein the first and second generally rigid polymers are composed of the same polymer material.
5. The molding process of claim 1 wherein the first and second generally rigid polymers are composed of different polymer materials.
6. The molding process of claim 1 wherein the first and second generally rigid polymers have a different Shore A hardness.
7. The molding process of claim 1 wherein the generally flexible polymer is injected after the first or second generally rigid polymer.
8. The molding process of claim 1 wherein the generally flexible polymer has a Shore A hardness less than the first and second generally rigid polymers.
9. The molding process of claim 1 wherein a top surface of the resilient skin contacting element has a plurality of protrusions that are oriented generally transverse to the top surface to facilitate ejection of the wet shaving razor.
10. The molding process of claim 1 further comprising joining a lubricating strip to the housing.
11. The molding process of claim 1 wherein the lubricating strip is joined to the housing with a snap fit connection.
12. The molding process of claim 1 wherein the lubricating strip is joined to the housing with an adhesive.
13. The molding process of claim 1 further comprising placing a cap including a lubricating strip into the first mold cavity and injecting the first generally rigid plastic around the cap to secure the cap to the housing.
14. The molding process of claim 1 wherein injecting the generally flexible polymer forms a gripping portion of the handle.
15. The molding process of claim 1 wherein the first and second generally rigid polymers are different colors.