DE102013111775A1 - Method for producing sound products - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a clay product, in particular a vessel or planter for plants. To provide a method for producing a clay product, in particular a vessel or planter for plants, which can be carried out particularly inexpensively with little energy and time and allows the production of a clay product which is comparable in mechanical strength with a conventionally fired clay pot , It is envisaged that a mass comprising a Rohhtonmasse and a matrix former, are processed and then a shaping of the mass to a blank, in particular a vessel blank is performed and finally the drying of the blank and crosslinking of the matrix former takes place at temperatures below a firing temperature of the raw clay mass ,

Description

The invention relates to a method for producing a clay product, in particular a vessel or planter for plants, as well as a clay product produced by the process, in particular a vessel.

Toner products, in particular vessels or planters for plants, are known in various embodiments from the prior art and are used in numerous fields of application, for example for the rearing and storage of plants in both nurseries and end consumers.

Although in principle products, in particular vessels of the type mentioned above are known and available from a wide variety of materials, the consumer primarily desires and uses clay vessels.

For the production of such a product made of clay, it is known from the prior art to first mold the clay, which may have been mixed with auxiliaries, into a vessel blank and then to burn it at temperatures of at least 1000 ° C. over a longer period of time, the vessel blank being fired by this ceramic fire achieved its final dimensional stability and stability.

However, this known from the prior art method has numerous disadvantages. On the one hand, the burning process is very energy-intensive and on the other hand, a long burning time is required for ceramic firing, followed by a corresponding cooling time, whereby the production process is cost-intensive, both because of energy consumption and because of its duration.

Alternatively, it is also known from the prior art to produce products, in particular vessels made entirely of plastic. However, such vessels have a significantly lower mechanical stability and a shorter life, especially due to weathering and damage due to UV radiation. In addition, vessels, in particular planters for plants made of plastic, especially one-piece injection-molded vessels, are generally less appreciated by the consumer.

The invention is therefore based on the object to provide a method for producing a toner product, in particular a vessel or planter for plants, which can be carried out inexpensively with little energy and time and can be produced with the toner products, with respect to their mechanical strength and Their appearance with conventional burned toner products are comparable.

The invention solves the problem by a method for producing a toner product according to claim 1 and with a toner product, in particular a vessel according to claim 16. Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

In the method according to the invention for the production of a clay product, in particular a vessel or planter for plants, as a first process step, a preparation, in particular by mixing, a mass comprising a Rohhtonmasse and a matrix former, followed by a further process step of forming the mass into a blank , in particular to a vessel blank. Finally, in a further process step, drying of the blank and crosslinking of the matrix former are carried out at temperatures below a firing temperature of the crude clay mass.

From the manufacturing method according to the invention of the toner product, in particular of the vessel results over the known from the prior art method has the advantage that to achieve the final dimensional stability of the molded blank from a clay-containing mass, in particular a Rohhtonmasse, no time and energy-consuming ceramic firing more is necessary, but the blank only has to be heated to a moderate drying temperature at which crosslinks the matrix former and thereby gives the toner product the necessary stability. In this case, the strength of the method according to dried toner product, in particular vessel with the achieved when burning a white or colored glass body with 1000 ° C strength is comparable. In addition, the inventive method allows further time and cost savings by eliminating the need for kiln burning, reduced staffing due to the lost burning process and a simplified logistics during the production of the toner product.

Furthermore, the invention relates to a clay product, in particular a vessel according to claim 16, which was preferably produced by the method according to claim 1 and / or at least one feature of claims 2-15 realized.

For example, the sound product may be any decorative item such as a statue, a frame, a picture, a bust, or the like. Alternatively, the Tonartzeugnis be formed as any vessel or as any building material, such as tiles or plates.

The term "vessel" within the meaning of claims 1 and 16 is to be understood comprehensively and includes all products in and on which solid, liquid or loose objects or masses can be accommodated. In particular, a vessel is understood to mean any container which is suitable for receiving a plant. This can on the one hand to a planter, in particular a flower pot, act, in which a plant is introduced directly. On the other hand, it may also be a planter, which serves to receive a plant pot and has the task of preventing the leakage of irrigation water to a location below the vessel footprint. In addition, any, three-dimensionally extended and open at least one side container for storing a plant, for example, bowls, plates and other, multi-sided open container from the concept of the vessel comprises.

The term plant is to be interpreted broadly and includes all living plants, especially flowers, shrubs and trees, and artificially produced plants and similar items, especially for decoration purposes, of any material, such as plastic, textile and / or wood.

The processing step is understood to be any process in which at least two substances initially present separately are at least partially mixed with one another and / or comminuted, wherein in particular during mixing one of the substances is at least partially distributed in the other of the two substances. Preferably, the processing comprises mixing up to a substantially homogeneous distribution of a substance in another, in particular matrix-forming particles in the crude clay mass. In addition, the processing or mixing of more than two components is possible, not necessarily all substances must homogeneously mix together, but only one of the substances is distributed within another substance. Preferably, all substances are substantially homogeneously distributed after processing in the substance mixture formed.

The mass is basically the product of the mixing process. In this case, mass is understood as meaning any substance mixture which can be brought into a changed spatial shape by means of at least one shaping or shaping process, preferably by pressing or alternatively casting. The mass is particularly preferably a plastically moldable mass which essentially retains its shape after the forming process, in particular after a shaping press. Furthermore, preferably, the plastically moldable mass on a highly plastic and only to a small extent elastic behavior, in particular strain and flow behavior on.

In principle, the preparation of the mass can not only immediately precede the further process steps, but also take place at a different production location and in time essentially independently of the further process. In particular, it is possible that a ready-mixed, preferably plastically moldable composition is purchased and further processed by the novel process.

The crude clay mass may initially be any substance or any mixture of substances which is predominantly proportioned, ie. more than 50%, preferably more than 75% and particularly preferably more than 95% of clay or a clay mixture. In addition to a naturally occurring clay, the raw clay mass can also be both a subsequently purified, naturally occurring clay or an artificially produced material with clay properties. Furthermore, the raw clay mass has a water content that can vary greatly depending on the type of clay.

As a matrix former is first understood any substance which is capable of forming an at least two-dimensional, preferably three-dimensional network, in particular by a physical transformation or a chemical reaction. In this case, the three-dimensional network may, for example, have a sponge-like structure whose pores are preferably substantially filled with raw clay. Preferably, the network-like structure of the matrix former completely penetrates the vessel.

The matrix-forming agent is preferably a meltable substance which is finely distributed, especially as particles, in the plastically moldable mass, with the individual particles at least partially melting when the temperature increases, possibly becoming free-flowing, so that the adjacent particle is at the contact points can connect with each other. This process is particularly preferably carried out to such an extent that, after crosslinking of the matrix former, the blank has a single, three-dimensional network structure of the matrix former at least in the interior, preferably also on its surface. In addition, it is also possible that the substance used as a matrix former combines during melting with a surface of particles of the plastically moldable mass such that they are localized with respect to each other.

In addition, in principle, it is also possible to form the clay product from a plurality of mutually juxtaposed sections formed by molding, in particular by pressing.

A blank is understood to mean a preliminary stage of the finished toner product, in particular as a result of the shaping process, preferably of the shaping press, whereby substantially the final shaping of the finished toner product, in particular vessel, is already present. Particularly preferably, the blank has a sufficient stability, so that it can be automatically or manually transported to the next step or stored in the meantime.

Drying basically means any process in which the water content of the blank is reduced. The drying preferably takes place with the aid of elevated temperatures and / or a gas stream directed onto the blanks. Also preferably, the drying is carried out in such a way and continued over an ongoing period that results in a more uniform within the toner product, especially within the vessel wall, compared to the blank lowered water content of the finished toner product.

The process according to the invention is characterized, inter alia, by the fact that the temperature during the drying of the blank as well as the crosslinking of the matrix former is below the firing temperature of the crude clay mass. The firing temperature of the crude clay mass is understood to mean that temperature which must at least be reached in order to burn the respective raw clay mass, in particular to achieve sintering and / or ceramic bonding of the raw clay mass. The required temperature is typically in the range between 800 ° C (biscuit firing for earthenware) and 1300 ° C (sintering firing to stoneware).

According to an advantageous embodiment of the method, the mass is processed in such a way that it is plastically deformable, and the shaping of the plastically deformable mass can be carried out by shaping pressing.

In principle, shaping molding is understood to be a forming process in which the plastically moldable material is converted into a blank by applying pressure. Preferably, the plastically moldable mass is introduced into a mold and pressed against this, for which purpose particularly preferably a corresponding press die is used. Alternatively, the forming can also be effected by pressing between a plurality of molds resulting in the shape of the blank. Particularly preferably, the shaping pressing takes place by means of a commercially available pot-type press.

According to a preferred development of the method, furthermore, a method step of coating the blank is provided, wherein preferably the coating takes place in one method step with the drying of the blank. A corresponding coating allows in a particularly simple manner a change in the properties of the vessel surface, such as the visual appearance, improving the water resistance or reducing the sensitivity to dirt.

In this case, the drying and coating of the blank according to a particularly preferred embodiment of the method comprises the following steps: First, the blank is heated for predrying over a period of time, more preferably at a temperature of less than 100 ° C, more preferably about 90 ° C, whereby the Water content of the blank is reduced, which may be accompanied by a change in shape and / or size of the blank, the so-called dry shrinkage. Subsequently, the blank is heated to a dry or process temperature, preferably between 100 ° C and 200 ° C. Subsequently, the application of a coating on the heated blank, whereupon a melting or drying of the coating, especially in the Trockenbzw. Process temperature, can be done. In addition, accompanied by the last process step, a final drying of the blank can be carried out. The order of a coating on the heated blank makes it possible in a particularly simple manner to apply a coating and at the same time to fix it, wherein advantageously no additional process step is necessary.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the coating is carried out by powder coating, in particular by means of a polymer powder, whereby a particularly cost-effective coating is made possible. Most preferably, the material for powder coating is chosen such that it can connect to the matrix former during melting, whereby the coating additionally contributes to the stability of the toner product, in particular the vessel. In addition, the powder coating can already take over functions of the decor, i. be designed so that a desirable overall visual impression of Tonzeugnis, for example, with respect to its color and surface texture arises.

In addition, a coating of the toner product by clearcoat and / or Buntlackauftrag, in particular by spray application, or by impregnation with a Silicone building protection conceivable. In particular, such a coating of the toner product takes place after cooling of the crosslinked blank or vessel to room temperature.

According to an advantageous development of the method according to the invention, the temperature during the drying of the blank, in particular the maximum reached in the drying temperature is less than 400 ° C, preferably less than 250 ° C and is more preferably between 100 ° C and 200 ° C, thereby the energy consumption of the drying and the crosslinking of the matrix former, in particular compared to the known from the prior art firing method for clay vessels, can be significantly reduced, resulting in significantly reduced production costs of the toner product.

The drying can be carried out not only at a constant temperature, but also by means of a designed over a period of temperature program, in particular a temperature rising with time.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the method, the temperature during the drying of the blank is above a melting and / or reaction temperature of the matrix former, whereby a crosslinking of the matrix former is achieved during the drying in a simple manner, so that at the latest after cooling and thus optionally associated curing or solidification of the matrix former, the toner product has reached its final strength. Preferably, the temperature during the drying of the blank essentially corresponds to a melting and / or reaction temperature of the matrix former, whereby on the one hand crosslinking of the matrix former is ensured, on the other hand the energy requirement of the process is kept as low as possible and moreover a possible thermal damage of the matrix Matrixbildners is prevented in a simple manner.

In principle, the shaping pressing can be done in any way. Preferably, the plastically moldable material is first introduced into a rigid lower mold for forming pressing and then pressed by means of an upper mold to form a blank. Particularly preferably, the upper mold rotates with respect to the lower mold, whereby a particularly rapid and reliable consistent shaping of the blank can be achieved. In this case, both the lower mold and the upper mold can be formed as a one-piece component, preferably made of metal, or as an assembly of several components.

According to a preferred embodiment of the process according to the invention, the raw clay composition comprises predominantly unfired clay, preferably predominantly unfired ceramic clay, which can be obtained in a particularly cost-effective manner, in particular with respect to fired clay, and can be processed in a particularly simple manner. In principle, the raw clay mass may also be a mixture of several unfired clays, in particular ceramic clays.

According to a likewise preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention comprises the mass, in particular the plastically moldable mass in the processing 5-40%, preferably 10-25% water based on the total mass, whereby a plastic deformation in a particularly simple manner possible. In this case, the water may be present either partially or completely already in the crude clay mass or else be added completely or partially to the desired water content.

According to a possible development of the method according to the invention, the mass comprises 0.1-4%, preferably 0.5-2% of at least one rheological auxiliary, in particular a plasticizer, whereby the flow properties can be improved in a simple manner.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the composition further comprises dyes, in particular colored powders, colored clay powders and / or color oxides, whereby the vessel can be colored independently of a surface coating.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention, the matrix former is formed essentially from a polymer, preferably a thermoplastic polymer or a polyester, phenolic or epoxy resin, in particular a heat-crosslinking synthetic resin, resulting in a crosslinking of the matrix former in a simple manner at a temperature in the range the drying temperature and on the other a low product price for the toner product due to the low material costs. In this case, the matrix former may be both a single polymer and a mixture of a plurality of polymers and / or further substances. For example, synthetic resins such as polyester, epoxy, urea-formaldehyde, melamine or phenolic resins and also polyurethane or thermoplastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) can be used.

According to a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the matrix former is mixed homogeneously during mixing as granules and / or powder with the raw clay mass, the granule size preferably less than 1 mm, more preferably less than 500 microns and completely more preferably less than or equal to 63 microns, which is achieved in a simple manner uniform enforcement of the matrix former in the mass.

According to a likewise preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the mass ratio of the crude clay mass to the matrix former is between 20: 1 and 1: 1, preferably between 9: 1 and 2: 1, more preferably between 6: 1 and 2: 1. Due to a high proportion of the particularly cost raw clay mass is thereby advantageously enables a particularly inexpensive production.

According to a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the drying is carried out to a residual moisture of the toner product of less than 5%, preferably less than 2%, whereby a particularly high strength of the toner product is achieved.

Also preferably, the drying takes place in at least two steps. In a first step, the drying is carried out by an increase in temperature and / or a moisture reduction in the dryer, wherein preferably the drying is continued over a period of 4-10 hours, in particular until a residual moisture of 1-2%. In a second step, the drying and preferably also the crosslinking of the matrix former takes place, with drying and / or crosslinking particularly preferably being carried out over a period of 20-40 minutes at temperatures up to 200 ° C. Both steps of the drying can be carried out both directly consecutively and / or in one plant or take place spatially and / or temporally separated from each other in two plants.

Several embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail below. In a first embodiment of the method according to the invention for producing a plant pot for plants, 85 parts by mass of ready-to-use clay are first treated with 15 parts by mass of transparent lacquer powder of heat-curing polyester and epoxy resins. The ready-to-use clay is essentially a mixture of different natural clays. Furthermore, 20% water and 0.5% of the plasticizer "Zusoplast P98T" based on the mass of the resulting mixture is added and mixed until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.

The preparation below a defined amount of the plastically moldable composition thus obtained is placed in a pot press and pressed between a rigid metallic lower mold and a rigid metallic upper mold by moving the lower mold and the upper mold in relation to each other to a vessel blank, which after removal from the mold stable.

Subsequently, the vessel blank is first heated to room temperature of 90 ° C for a period of 6 hours for drying, whereby the vessel blank dries to a residual water content of less than 2%. Subsequently, the vessel blank is further heated within a period of 30 minutes up to about 200 ° C, whereby the final drying takes place. At the same time, the paint powder contained in the plastically deformable mass melts and combines in the wall of the vessel blank to form a net-like structure.

A powder coating layer is subsequently applied to the vessel blank which has been heated by drying and melted by briefly re-heating the vessel blank to the drying temperature with the surface of the vessel blank. After cooling and associated final curing of the paint powder contained inside the vessel, the vessel reaches its final strength.

In this case, the powder coating layer applied from the outside to the vessel, which can have an identical composition with the paint powder introduced into the plastically moldable mass, contributes to the final stability of the vessel and, secondly, leads to a secure watertightness of the finished vessel.

In a second embodiment of the inventive method for producing a flower pot Westerwälder fat clay with transparent paint powder initially mixed in a mass ratio of 7: 3, wherein the Westerwälder fat clay characterized by a particularly high plasticity, which is advantageous for the subsequent shaping of the material , Furthermore, 22% water and 0.8% of the plasticizer "Zusoplast P98T" based on the mass of the mixture of clay and paint powder are added during the mixing process.

Subsequently, a pressing of the plastically moldable mass thus obtained by means of a pot press similar to the method described in the first embodiment, which deviates from the latter, the upper mold during pressing relative to the lower mold.

The vessel blank obtained by pressing is subsequently predried over a period of 8 hours at 90 ° and then heated for 40 minutes to about 200 ° C, wherein the paint powder melts and forms a three-dimensional, the vessel wall penetrating paint matrix. The vessel thus obtained is already waterproof and can therefore be used without further coating of the surface. Furthermore, a vessel produced in this way is characterized by a gas permeability of the wall, which advantageously ensures aeration of potting soil present in the vessel as well as the roots of a plant.

According to a third embodiment of the method according to the invention for producing a planter, 8 parts by mass of finished clay with 2 parts by mass of polyethylene microgranules having a particle size of less than or equal to 500 μm are initially introduced. Furthermore, the mixture to be mixed 20% water and 0.5% of the plasticizer "Zusoplast P98T" based on the mass of the mixture of clay and polymer granules are added and all the substances homogeneously mixed.

The subsequent production of a vessel by pressing to a vessel blank and subsequent drying of the vessel blank and crosslinking of the polyethylene microgranulate is carried out according to the corresponding method steps described in the first embodiment.

Claims (16)

Process for the preparation of a clay product, in particular a vessel or planter for plants, comprising the steps: Preparing a mass comprising a raw clay mass and a matrix former, - Forming the mass to a blank, in particular a vessel blank and - Drying of the blank and crosslinking of the matrix former at temperatures below a firing temperature of the raw clay mass. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the mass obtained by processing is plastically moldable and the shaping of the plastically deformable mass is carried out by shaping pressing. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a coating of the blank is carried out, wherein preferably the coating takes place in a process step with the drying of the blank. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drying and coating of the blank comprises the following steps: - predrying the blank at a drying temperature, preferably below 100 ° C, more preferably at 90 ° C, - heating the blank to a Drying or process temperature, preferably between 100 ° C and 200 ° C, - Application of a coating on the heated blank and - Melting or drying of the coating, especially in the Trockenbzw. Process temperature. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the temperature during the drying of the blank is less than 400 ° C, preferably less than 250 ° C and more preferably between 100 ° C and 200 ° C. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the temperature during the drying of the blank is above a melting and / or reaction temperature of the matrix former or preferably substantially corresponds to a melting and / or reaction temperature of the matrix former. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that for shaping pressing the plastically moldable composition is first introduced into a rigid lower mold and is subsequently pressed by means of an upper mold to form a blank, wherein preferably the upper mold rotates relative to the lower mold. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the raw clay composition comprises predominantly unfired clay, preferably predominantly unfired ceramic clay. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mass, in particular the plastically moldable mass during processing comprises 5-40%, preferably 10-25% water based on the total mass. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mass, in particular the plastically moldable composition comprises 0.1-4%, preferably 0.5-2% of a rheological excipient, in particular a plasticizer. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the matrix former is formed substantially from a polymer, preferably a thermoplastic polymer or a polyester, phenolic or epoxy resin. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the matrix former is homogeneously mixed during preparation as granules and / or powder with the raw clay mass, wherein the granule size of the granules is preferably smaller than 1 mm, more preferably less than 500 microns, and most preferably less than 63 microns. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mass ratio of the raw clay mass to the matrix former is between 20: 1 and 1: 1, preferably between 9: 1 and 2: 1, more preferably between 6: 1 and 2: 1. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drying is carried out to a residual moisture content of the toner product of less than 5%, preferably less than 2%. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the coating is carried out by powder coating, in particular by means of a polymer powder. A clay product, in particular a plant container, comprising - a raw clay mass and - a matrix former, characterized in that - the raw clay mass is unfired and - the matrix former is crosslinked, which preferably has a toner product substantially penetrating network-like structure.