Foam bodied hair curler

In a process for the preparation of a hair curler comprising an axially elongated, low-density elastic, foamed plastic body having a length suitable for a hair curler, and two opposed ends, with a substantially axially extending wire insert therein whose length is shorter than that of said plastic body, by continuously delivering low-density polyethylene granulate containing appropriate additives to an extruder and melting to a plastic mass, continuously supplying the mass melted in said extruder with blowing gas from a gas holder via metering pumps to form a continuous foam plastic melt, continuously cooling said foam plastic melt in a following cooling zone, continuously delivering a resulting cooled melt to a crosshead, continuously delivering a continuous wire to said crosshead, continuously forming a continuous strand of elastic foamed cooled low-density polyethylene having a density of less than about 100 kg/m.sup.3 around said continuous wire whereby said continuous strand of foamed low-density polyethylene, the improvement comprising:

• (a) cutting the continuous strand of foamed low-density polyethylene and wire into a piece with a predetermined length suitable for a hair curler, having two ends with the wire therein between the ends and
• (b) subsequently forming the embedded wire into an effective length which is shorter than said predetermined length so that each effective end of said wire is embedded within said cut piece a distance from each proximal end of said cut piece by pushing back the ends of the piece towards each other, then shortening the wire embedded within, and then causing the piece to spring back.

A process for manufacturing a hair curler having an elongated elastic foamed plastic body with a substantially axially extending wire embedded therein, wherein the embedded wire is axially shorter than the plastic body and distanced from both ends thereof, comprising:

• (A) gas extruding a continuous low density polyethylene foamed plastic body as a strand around substantially axially extending continuous wire, and
• (B) forming a completed hair curler by:
• (1) cutting the strand at a point preselected as an end for a hair curler body, without cutting the embedded wire, and clamping the wire exposed through the cut foamed plastic body;
• (2) severing the wire at about an equal length from each side of the point at which it is clamped, by punching through the surrounding foamed plastic body and wire;
• (3) axially displacing the cut strand while still clamping the wire, and axially displacing the clamped wire in a direction opposite to the direction in which the cut strand was displaced, thereby removing a cut length of clamped wire from one end of the displaced cut strand and also from a facing end of the remaining strand;
• and
• (4) iteratively repeating steps (1) to (3) thereby successively forming said hair curlers.

A process for manufacturing a hair curler having an elongated elastic foamed plastic body with a substantially axially extending wire embedded therein, wherein the embedded wire is axially shorter than the plastic body and distanced from both ends thereof, comprising:

• (A) gas extruding a continuous low density polyethylene foamed plastic body as a strand around a substantially axially extending continuous wire, and
• (B) forming a completed hair curler by:
• (1) cutting said strand and wire at a preselected point from one end thereof defining a length of a hair curler body;
• (2) clamping the cut strand and embedded wire;
• (3) inwardly axially displacing both ends of the cut strand sufficiently to expose a length of wire at each of its ends;
• (4) cutting off segments of each exposed length of wire about equal to a desired distance from an end of the wire to a proximal end of the hair curler foamed plastic body;
• and
• (5) causing the displaced ends of the elastic strand to revert to their formed shape.

A process for manufacturing a hair curler having an elongated elastic foamed plastic body with a foamed plastic body with a substantially axially extending wire embedded therein, wherein the embedded wire is axially shorter than the plastic body and distanced from both ends thereof, comprising:

• (A) gas extruding a continuous low density polyethylene foamed plastic body as a strand around a substantially axially extending continuous wire, and
• (B) forming a completed hair curler by:
• (1) cutting the end of the strand and embedded wire to a desired hair curler length;
• (2) clamping the cut strand and embedded wire;
• (3) inwardly axially displacing both ends of the cut strand sufficiently to expose a length of wire at each of its ends,
• (4) forming each end of the embedded wire into an inward folded loop or rounded head at each end of exposed embedded wire, so that each said loop or rounded head of the wire terminates at a desired distance from a proximal end of the hair curler plastic body;
• and
• (5) causing the displaced ends of the elastic strand to revert to their formed shape.

A process for manufacturing a hair curler having an elongated elastic foamed plastic body with a substantially axially extending wire embedded therein, wherein the embedded wire is axially shorter than the plastic body and distanced from both ends thereof, comprising:

• (A) gas extruding a continuous low density polyethylene foamed plastic body as a strand around a substantially axially extending continuous wire, and
• (B) forming a completed hair curler by:
• (1) cutting, at a point preselected to be at a junction of juxtaposed ends of two hair curlers being formed, respectively, said strand with two pairs of opposed cutting blades without cutting the wire embedded therein;
• (2) separating axially each pair of opposed blades while still engaged in cutting positions proximate said wire, thereby axially-displacing the formed strand ends in opposite directions along said wire, thereby exposing a segment of embedded wire equal in length to twice the desired distance between an end of the embedded wire and the proximal ends of the associated hair curlers, respectively, being formed;
• (3) cutting the length of the exposed segment simultaneously via said separated pairs of opposed blades;
• and
• (4) repeating steps (1) and (3) thereby completing the formation of one hair curler.