Manufacturing razor blades
View Patent ↗A method of manufacturing razor blades from a strip material includes reducing the thickness of a lengthwise-extending blade edge region of the strip material.
1. A method of manufacturing razor blades having blade edges from a strip material having a lengthwise-extending blade edge region, the method comprising:
(a) contacting a surface of the lengthwise-extending blade edge region with at least one roller to provide a beveled surface at said blade edge region wherein said strip material is moving in a lengthwise direction on a processing line and maintaining a tension on said strip material by having a first tension leveling station before step (a) working with a second tension leveling station after step (a);
(b) converting the lengthwise-extending blade edge region of the strip material from step (a) into the razor blade edges; and separating the strip material at approximately the middle of the blade edge region, wherein said beveled surface at said lengthwise-extending blade edge region has a thickness that is less than the thickness of the strip material adjoining the lengthwise-extending blade edge region, to form the blade edges of the razor blades.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the beveled surface extends widthwise at least approximately 30% across the lengthwise-extending region.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the beveled surface extends widthwise at least approximately 50% across the lengthwise-extending region.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the beveled surface is generally straight.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the beveled surface is generally concave.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the beveled surface is generally convex.
7. The method of claim 1 , the lengthwise-extending blade edge region including an upper surface and a lower surface, wherein step (a) comprises contacting the upper surface and the lower surface with rollers to provide a beveled upper surface and a beveled lower surface.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (b) further comprises separating the strip material at approximately the middle of the blade edge region wherein said beveled surface at said lengthwise-extending blade edge region has a thickness that is less than the thickness of the strip material adjoining the lengthwise-extending blade edge region, to form the blade edges of the razor blades.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein said upper and lower beveled surfaces each comprise a generally convex beveled surface.