Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C51/00—Shaping by thermoforming, i.e. shaping sheets or sheet like preforms after heating, e.g. shaping sheets in matched moulds or by deep-drawing; Apparatus therefor
  • B29C51/26—Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
  • B29C51/266—Auxiliary operations after the thermoforming operation
  • B29C51/267—Two sheets being thermoformed in separate mould parts and joined together while still in the mould
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C69/00—Combinations of shaping techniques not provided for in a single one of main groups B29C39/00 - B29C67/00, e.g. associations of moulding and joining techniques; Apparatus therefore
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D23/00—General constructional features
  • F25D23/02—Doors; Covers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C65/00—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor
  • B29C65/02—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor by heating, with or without pressure
  • B29C65/18—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor by heating, with or without pressure using heated tools
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
  • B29C66/01—General aspects dealing with the joint area or with the area to be joined
  • B29C66/32—Measures for keeping the burr form under control; Avoiding burr formation; Shaping the burr
  • B29C66/328—Leaving the burrs unchanged for providing particular properties to the joint, e.g. as decorative effect
  • B29C66/3282—Leaving the burrs unchanged for providing particular properties to the joint, e.g. as decorative effect for reinforcing the joint
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
  • B29C66/40—General aspects of joining substantially flat articles, e.g. plates, sheets or web-like materials; Making flat seams in tubular or hollow articles; Joining single elements to substantially flat surfaces
  • B29C66/41—Joining substantially flat articles ; Making flat seams in tubular or hollow articles
  • B29C66/43—Joining a relatively small portion of the surface of said articles
  • B29C66/432—Joining a relatively small portion of the surface of said articles for making tubular articles or closed loops, e.g. by joining several sheets ; for making hollow articles or hollow preforms
  • B29C66/4326—Joining a relatively small portion of the surface of said articles for making tubular articles or closed loops, e.g. by joining several sheets ; for making hollow articles or hollow preforms for making hollow articles or hollow-preforms, e.g. half-shells
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C66/00—General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts
  • B29C66/50—General aspects of joining tubular articles; General aspects of joining long products, i.e. bars or profiled elements; General aspects of joining single elements to tubular articles, hollow articles or bars; General aspects of joining several hollow-preforms to form hollow or tubular articles
  • B29C66/51—Joining tubular articles, profiled elements or bars; Joining single elements to tubular articles, hollow articles or bars; Joining several hollow-preforms to form hollow or tubular articles
  • B29C66/54—Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-shells, to form hollow articles, e.g. for making balls, containers; Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-cylinders, to form tubular articles
  • B29C66/545—Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-shells, to form hollow articles, e.g. for making balls, containers; Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-cylinders, to form tubular articles one hollow-preform being placed inside the other
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29L—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
  • B29L2024/00—Articles with hollow walls
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29L—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
  • B29L2031/00—Other particular articles
  • B29L2031/762—Household appliances
  • B29L2031/7622—Refrigerators

Definitions

• This invention relates to the fabrication of an insulated structure for the casing of a
• an insulated structure such as the door panel or panels of a refrigeration appliance
• the invention provides a method of fabricating an insulated structure forming part of the
• casing of a refrigeration appliance which comprises applying reduced pressure to draw a pair
• the insulated structure may be a door of a refrigerator, freezer, or combined
• refrigerator/freezer but it is also possible to fabricate the cabinet of such an appliance as well
• the invention also provides an insulated structure fabricated in accordance with the method
• Insulated structures for the casing of a refrigeration appliance fabricated in accordance with
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator
• Figure 2 is a plan view of the door of the refrigerator
• Figure 3 is a front elevation of the door of the refrigerator
• Figure 4 is a side elevation of the door of the refrigerator
• FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section through the top of the door taken through the lines A-A in Figure 3;
• Figure 6 is a schematic view of apparatus for fabricating the door shown in Figures 1 to 5;
• Figure 7 is a sectional view of the door after fabrication, and corresponding to the sectional
• Figure 8 is a view on an enlarged scale of a part of the apparatus of Figure 6;
• Figure 9 illustrates a prior art method of welding
• Figure 10 illustrates one form of sheet of plastics material
• Figure 11 illustrates schematically apparatus for fabricating an insulated structure which forms
• Figure 12 is a horizontal cross-section through the insulated structure fabricated by the
• the refrigerator consists of a door 1 and a cabinet 2 each fabricated in accordance with the invention.
• the refrigerator is fitted with a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator in a refrigeration circuit, but these are not illustrated.
• the door consists of an
• the inner skin of the door 3 also has a recess 3d
• the door as seen in Figures 2 and 5, has an integral recess 4a which serves as a handle for
• the inner skin 5 of the cabinet has raised ribs 5a-5c to hold shelves (not shown).
• the projections 3a-3c also have raised bosses or ribs which are not shown in order to support shelves and compartments.
• the door is fabricated as follows. Two sheets of plastics material 7, 8 are heated respectively, from the top and from the bottom until they are respectively above their softening points, while being held apart by frames 9, 10 and 11.
• the sheets are then moved sideways to a position between a pair of tools 12, 13. These are lOmaintained at a temperature just below the softening point of the respective plastics materials.
• the tools are shown as having respective orifices 12a, 13a but, in practice, each tool would have several hundred such orifices.
• the orifices are provided in order to apply a vacuum to the front face of the tools.
• the sheets can be of dissimilar plastics material, but the squeezing of the material results in an integrated structure at the seam.
• polyurethane for example polyurethane
• the hole can be filled with granules of powder such as silica or fly 20ash (EP 0 190 582, EP 0 254 993) by vibrating the moulding, whereupon vacuum can be
• the sheet in that in addition to the structural layer 18, the sheet also has an integral gas impermeable layer such as EVOH (ethylene vinyl alcohol) together with a water barrier 20 such as polypropylene.
• EVOH ethylene vinyl alcohol
• the door thus produced has an acceptable outside appearance, is rigid because of the filling
• the outer skin 7 is formed of a thicker plastics
• Suitable materials for the outer skin are ABS (acrylo-nitrile butadiene styrene), high impact polystyrene, polycarbonate or polypropylene. Suitable
• lOmaterials for the inner skin are any of the above excluding polycarbonate which would generally not be used for the inner skin because of its higher expense.
• the layers would be 5mm for the outer layer and 3mm for the inner layer, and a typical thickness after squashing between the tools would be less than 4mm.
• the outer material is chosen for its appearance and the inner skin for its ability to be deep drawn.
• the tool may have
• the combined thickness of material at that line is less than the combined thickness of the
• the aperture 10a allows air in to allow the sheets to be drawn over the
• Typical materials for the inner skin layer 7 are: crystal polystyrene, high impact polystyrene, ABS, polypropylene; and typical materials for the outer skin layer 8 are: those for the inner
• lOskin or polycarbonate Suitable thicknesses would be around 5mm for the inner skin 7 and around 6mm for the outer skin 8.
• the sheets 7 and 8 could be of laminated construction as for the door.
• 15refrigeration apparatus preferably as a module to it.
• the invention is also applicable to a freezer, or to a
• fridge/freezer having one or multiple doors for respective compartments.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Refrigerator Housings (AREA)
• Blow-Moulding Or Thermoforming Of Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
• Perforating, Stamping-Out Or Severing By Means Other Than Cutting (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)
• Moulds For Moulding Plastics Or The Like (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=10769688

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (3)

Family Cites Families (15)

• 1995
  • 1995-02-16 GB GB9503009A patent/GB2297937A/en not_active Withdrawn
• 1996
  • 1996-02-13 TR TR97/00773T patent/TR199700773T1/xx unknown
  • 1996-02-13 KR KR1019970705647A patent/KR19980702250A/ko not_active Withdrawn
  • 1996-02-13 WO PCT/GB1996/000296 patent/WO1996025287A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 1996-02-13 EP EP96902336A patent/EP0809569A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1996-02-13 JP JP8524744A patent/JPH11500074A/ja active Pending

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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