DE29924066U1 - Plastic transport container - Google Patents

Description

Ob49DEG Götz W. and H

Soft grip

Description
Plastic transport containers

The invention relates to a transport container made of plastic with at least one carrying handle.

There are many different types of plastic transport containers, but all of them have the disadvantage that the handle is not very comfortable to carry. The handles usually cause pressure points on the hands, which are painful at least when carrying the container. This does not guarantee safe and comfortable transport of the transport container.

In addition, there are enormous stability problems with most handles. It cannot be ruled out that the handles currently in use will break.

The invention is based on the object of proposing a transport container with a carrying handle which, on the one hand, has the required strength and, on the other hand, enables the transport container to be carried comfortably and safely.

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In addition, a method for producing such a transport container is to be proposed.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that a separately manufactured component is used at least in the area of the carrying handle.

This ensures that the inserted component can be anatomically shaped separately from the transport container and only then inserted into the transport container.

It is advantageous if the container is made of HDPE, preferably by injection molding.

HDPE is a stable and impact-resistant material for the construction of transport containers and can be easily connected to other components.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, it has proven to be very advantageous if the component used is softer and more elastic than the rest of the container.

This gives the wearer a particularly comfortable grip.

It has also proven to be extremely advantageous if the component used is introduced into the injection mold of the container before the injection molding process and is firmly connected to the plastic of the rest of the container after the injection molding process has been completed.

This ensures that there is an intimate and firm connection between the transport container and the component.

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It has proven to be particularly advantageous if the injection mold has a clamping device for holding a lip of the component facing it.

This ensures that the component is fixed in place in the injection mold.

It is very advantageous if the clamping device has a slider for clamping the inserted component.

This makes it particularly easy to clamp the component.

It has also proven to be very advantageous that the slider is removed when the spraying process is completed.

By removing the slide during the injection molding process, a very good, seamless embedding of the component in the transport container is ensured.

It is also very advantageous if the injection mold has a vacuum device to hold the component in place.

This makes it easy to hold the component securely in the specified position in the injection mold.

A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is that the inserted component has recesses into which counterparts arranged on the core of the mold engage.

This ensures safe and easy fixation of the inserted component during the injection molding process.

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According to a further embodiment of the invention, it is extremely advantageous if the component is arranged in the region of at least a partial section of a tool seam.

This eliminates the often time-consuming deburring of plastic protrusions in the area of the tool seams.

A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is that the transport container is a bottle crate.

Bottle crates in particular are frequently used transport containers, and their use will continue to increase in the future as people switch to reusable bottles in a wide variety of areas of life.

It has also proven to be extremely advantageous if the labeling of the container is carried out as in-mould labelling.

In-mould labelling can be carried out in much higher quality than screen printing on the container surfaces.

A further advantageous development of the invention is that the component used is inserted in a part of the area of the handle that is exposed to the force transfer between the handle and the hand.

The greater adaptability of the component to the hand effectively prevents pressure points on the hands.

It has proven to be very advantageous if the component in the area of the carrying handle that is visible from outside the transport container is overmolded with the HDPE plastic of the container.

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This results in a uniform external appearance of the container combined with increased wearing comfort.

According to a further development of the invention, it is extremely advantageous if lamellar projections are arranged in the carrying handle.

It is also very advantageous if the carrying handle is hollow.

Both designs, either by molded slats and/or by hollowing the handle, make it considerably stronger against loads while using little material.

According to a further development of the invention, it is extremely advantageous if the component is made of solid material.

This ensures great flexibility and yet great resistance, especially with regard to abrasion.

It has also proven to be very advantageous if the component is manufactured hollow.

This results in a great saving of material while at the same time providing maximum flexibility.

It has proven to be particularly advantageous if stiffeners are provided in the component, which are preferably designed like walls.

This ensures even better controlled compliance of the component.

It has proven to be extremely advantageous if the component is

Extrusion process is used . . _# .

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This enables extremely cost-effective production of the component.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, it is very advantageous if the material of the component is reusable together with the box material.

This ensures easy reusability without much effort for material separation.

It is also extremely advantageous if the component is made of a plastic that is similar to the container material.

In addition to the good reusability of the entire container, this ensures a stable connection between the container and the component.

According to the invention, it has proven to be very advantageous if a robot arm places the component in the desired position of the injection mold.

This allows the component to be inserted into the injection mold precisely and cost-effectively.

A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the component is fixed in the desired position by clamping.

This prevents the component from slipping during the injection molding process.

It has proven to be particularly advantageous if the component is clamped in place by a slider.

This allows the component to be securely fixed in the injection mold in a simple manner.

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In this context, it is also extremely advantageous if the slider is removed during the injection molding process.

This ensures a seamless connection between the component and the rest of the container. A seam would be created in the area of the slider for fixing the component if the slider remained within the container wall until the container material had completely solidified.

It has also proven to be very advantageous if the component is fixed in the intended position in the injection mold by means of negative pressure.

This ensures in a simple way that the component is fixed during the injection molding process.

According to a further development of the invention, it is advantageous if the component is placed on counterparts to recesses and is thereby held in the desired position.

This also ensures that the component is securely and quickly fixed in the injection mold.

An additional development of the invention is characterized in that at least one robot arm is provided for introducing an in-mold label and simultaneously introducing the component into the respectively desired positions.

Simultaneous insertion of an in-mould label and the component into the injection mould results in considerable time and cost savings.

It has proven to be extremely advantageous if gas is introduced into the hollow component during the injection molding process.

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This prevents the hollow component from being filled with spray material during the injection molding process.

It has proven to be very advantageous if the gas is introduced through the spray material.

This ensures that after the container has solidified, no opening remains visible that was used to introduce gas into the hollow component during the injection molding process.

The invention is explained using an embodiment in the drawing.

Fig. 1 a section through a handle of a bottle crate with an inserted component in the area of the inside and the lower edge of the handle,

Fig. 2 a section through another carrying handle with an inserted component on the inside and outside of the carrying handle,

Fig. 3 a section through another carrying handle with a hollow inserted component which has internal struts,

Fig. 4 a section through another carrying handle with an inserted component arranged on the lower edge of the carrying handle, the carrying handle being hollow, and

Fig. 5 is a section through another carrying handle, with a component arranged on the lower edge of the carrying handle, wherein

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the carrying handle is stiffened by vertical, slat-like bars.

In Fig. 1, 1 designates a handle of a bottle crate (not shown in detail). This handle 1 has a hard, load-bearing area 2 which is made of the same material as the rest of the crate. HDPE is generally used for bottle crates produced using the injection molding process. A component 5 made of a softer and more elastic material is arranged on the inside 3 and the lower edge 4 of the handle 1. The material used to manufacture the component 5 generally has a lower density than the HDPE used for the rest of the crate.

Due to its arrangement on the inner side 3 and the lower edge 4 of the handle 1, the component 5 is located in the area that is exposed to the transfer of force between the handle 1 and the hand of a user. The soft and elastic design of the component 5 effectively prevents annoying pressure points on the hands of the person carrying the box. In order not to impair the external appearance of the box, the component 5 is only visible in a narrow area 6 on the lower edge of the outer side 7 of the handle 1. The component 5 has recesses 8 on its outer surface on the inner side 3 of the handle 1, into which corresponding mandrels (not shown in more detail) on the core of an injection mold (not shown in more detail) engage during the injection molding process. The component 5 is therefore fixed in the intended position on the injection mold during the injection molding process of the box.

In Fig. 2, another carrying handle 21 is shown, which is made up of a load-bearing area 22 and an inserted component 25. The component 25 forms part of the surface of both the inner side 23 and the outer side 27 of the carrying handle 21. The component 25 encompasses the load-bearing area 22 of the carrying handle from the outer side 27 over the lower edge 24 to the inner side 23 of the carrying handle. By arranging the component 25 both on the inner side 23 and on the

The outside 27 of the handle 21 are the fingers as well as the palm of the wearer : : :·· .· ·..: ·..: .· :.:. _{: :} : : : : : : :

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effectively protected from pressure points by the carrying handle. During the injection molding process of the box, the component 25 is clamped to a lip 28 arranged at its inner, upper end by a slider (not shown in detail) in the injection mold and is fixed during the injection molding process.

Fig. 3 shows a further embodiment of a carrying handle 31. A hollow-shaped component 35 is arranged on the inner side 33 and the lower edge 34 of the carrying handle 31. This hollow-shaped component 35 is reinforced by internally arranged struts 38 in order to prevent it from being compressed in an uncontrolled manner under the enormous loads when carrying the box.

Fig. 4 shows another carrying handle 41 in which the component 45 is arranged on its lower edge 44. The supporting part 42 of the carrying handle 41 is hollow. The hollow shape is achieved by known gas injection into the carrying handle during the injection molding process.

The embodiment of a carrying handle 51 shown in Fig. 5 again shows that a component 55 is molded onto its lower edge 54. The supporting part 52 of the carrying handle 51 is reinforced on its inner side 53 by lamellar, vertically extending webs 58. The softer component 55 is arranged on the lower edge 54 of the carrying handle 51.

It is also conceivable to combine several features shown and described in any combination in the individual figures.

The invention also relates to a method for introducing one of the components 5, 15, 25, 35, 45 or 55 described above into an injection mold. Due to the better print quality that can be achieved, many bottle crates are no longer printed using the screen printing process, but receive their labels using the in-mold labeling process. According to the method according to the invention, the in-mold

Label and the component with a single robot, simultaneously into the injection mold for : II" \. ^:! ..: ^! ..j V 5». :&Ggr;:&Ggr;: : : i

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the bottle crate. The inserted component is either - as described above - fixed in the injection mold by pushing it onto mandrels or by clamping it with a slider. This means that the component cannot slip during the injection molding process. If the component is held in place by clamping it with a slider during the injection molding process, the slider should be removed during the curing process, as at this time the incision left by the slider in the crate can still be filled with the material that has not yet solidified. This avoids visible seams and defects at the transition between the crate material and the component.

The component can also be arranged in the area of at least part of a tool seam. During the injection molding process, protrusions of the box material form on the tool seams. These protrusions must be deburred or removed, which is time-consuming and requires a lot of personnel. If the inserted component is now arranged in the area of a tool seam, there is no need to remove protrusions, at least in the area of the component, as these cannot form. The component covers the tool seam, meaning that no liquid plastic can run into the seam.

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Claims (22)

1. Transport container made of plastic with at least one carrying handle ( 1 , 21 , 31 , 41 , 51 ), characterized in that a separately manufactured component ( 5 , 25 , 35 , 45 , 55 ) is inserted at least in the region of the carrying handle ( 1 , 21 , 31 , 41 , 51 ). 2. Transport container according to claim 1, characterized in that the container is made of HDPE, preferably by injection molding. 3. Transport container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the inserted component ( 5 , 25 , 35 , 45 , 55 ) is softer and more elastic than the rest of the container ( 2 , 22 , 32 , 42 , 52 ). 4. Transport container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inserted component ( 5 , 25 , 35 , 45 , 55 ) is introduced into the injection mold of the container before the injection molding process and is firmly connected to the plastic of the rest of the container ( 2 , 22 , 32 , 42 , 52 ) after completion of the injection molding process. 5. Transport container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the injection mold has a clamping device for holding a lip of the component ( 5 , 25 , 35 , 45 , 55 ) facing it. 6. Transport container according to claim 5, characterized in that the clamping device has a slide for clamping the inserted component ( 5 , 25 , 35 , 45 , 55 ). 7. Transport container according to claim 6, characterized in that the slide is removed upon completion of the injection process. 8. Transport container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the injection mold has a vacuum device for holding the component ( 5 , 25 , 35 , 45 , 55 ). 9. Transport container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inserted component ( 5 ) has recesses ( 8 ) into which counterparts arranged on the core of the mold engage. 10. Transport container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the component ( 5 , 25 , 35 , 45 , 55 ) is arranged in the region of at least a partial section of a tool seam. 11. Transport container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport container is a bottle crate. 12. Transport container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the labeling of the container is designed as in-mold labeling. 13. Carrying handle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inserted component ( 5 , 25 , 35 , 45 , 55 ) is inserted in a part of that region of the handle ( 1 , 21 , 31 , 41 , 51 ) which is exposed to the force transfer between the carrying handle and the hand. 14. Carrying handle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the component ( 5 , 25 , 35 , 45 , 55 ) is overmolded with the HDPE plastic of the container in the area of the carrying handle ( 1 , 21 , 31 , 41 , 51 ) visible from outside the transport container. 15. Carrying handle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that lamellar projections ( 58 ) are arranged in the carrying handle ( 51 ). 16. Carrying handle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the carrying handle ( 41 ) is hollow. 17. Component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the component ( 5 , 25 , 45 , 55 ) is made of solid material. 18. Component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the component ( 35 ) is manufactured hollow. 19. Component according to claim 18, characterized in that stiffeners ( 38) are provided in the component (35 ) , which are preferably designed like walls. 20. Component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the component ( 5 , 25 , 35 , 45 , 55 ) is manufactured by the extrusion process. 21. Component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the material of the component ( 5 , 25 , 35 , 45 , 55 ) is reusable together with the box material. 22. Component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the component ( 5 , 25 , 35 , 45 , 55 ) is made of a plastic material related to the container material.