EP1016596B1 - U-shaped profile - Google Patents

Abstract

Rectangular U-section profile (1), having a base (1a) and side walls (1b, 1c), is made with a fold line (2') along the middle of its base so it can be folded when required into a W-section.

Description

The invention relates to a foldable U-profile and more particularly to a profile cardboard, its manufacturing process and an installation for carrying out the method.

It is known to use U-shaped profiles especially for packaging.

European Patent 0 411 045 for example describes a packaging container for wrapping long articles and which comprises two U-shaped profiles inserted one in the other.

In order to manufacture such profiles, it is in particular known to laminate strips of paper or cardboard and possibly to cover them with an envelope a resistant material of the carton type for example.

Similarly, it is also known to laminate flame cardboard-polyolefin complexes to obtain various profiles and in particular U.

Among the methods of manufacturing such U-shaped sections from resistant materials, the only known method is to laminate the strips to each other flat, then by a succession of profiling and forming stations, to make two main folds on the product in flat band, to perform the operation of folding progressively so as to finally obtain a profile whose cross-section is U-shaped.

When implementing this technique, the laminated layers are rapidly linked to each other by powerful links from either the action of the glue used in the case of cardboard strips, ie the sticky action of the polyethylene flame-heated in the case of cardboard-polyethylene composite strips.

The U-shaped profile thus obtained by this technique is rigid and the angle formed between the bottom of the U and each of its two lateral wings is generally close to 90 ° and is not modifiable as soon as the sticky agent is taken. After manufacture, a modification important of this angle and a spread of the wings in a perpendicular direction to the longitudinal axis of the profile, leads to a deterioration of said U-shaped section, by delamination of the constituent bands, and consequently, the impossibility of use.

U-shaped profiles obtained by this technique are difficult to stack unlike, for example, L-shaped profiles. The only known technique for stacking to minimize the bulk is to arrange the U-shaped head-to-tail two by two, that is to say that each profile overlaps one of the wings of a other profile.

It is easy to understand that rigid sections manufactured according to these methods known are particularly expensive to transport and / or store generally after placing on pallets, given the considerable volume of stacks obtained in relation to the material itself.

The unit transport cost is all the more important as the profiles present large dimensions.

The present invention is intended in particular to overcome this drawback and optimize stacking of profiles, by eliminating or reducing volumes dead regardless of the dimensions of the profiles

To optimize the stacks, the invention proposes a U-section having a bottom and two lateral wings, which is particularly remarkable in that it is provided in its bottom with a longitudinal fold line, in particular located substantially in the vicinity of the median line of said bottom, so that the latter can bend inwards at the same time as the wings flare up, so that that the profile can take at will a substantially W shape, thus facilitating its stacking especially for storage and / or transport.

The invention also proposes a method of manufacturing such a U-shaped profile, which is remarkable in that it consists in providing during the manufacture of the profile, a step of forming a longitudinal fold line in the bottom of said profile.

Advantageously, the fold line is made on a flat semi-finished product, before making the wings of the profile by folding.

For the manufacture of a profile from strips of laminated material, especially in cardboard or in complex cardboard-polyolefins, the invention proposes to carry out the fold line by a grooving operation.

This grooving operation can be performed, for example, by embedding without removal of material, or by milling with removal of material, or again by incision on the inner side of the bottom.

According to one embodiment, the fold line is reinforced on at least one of the faces of the bottom of the profile by a reinforcement band reported.

In the latter case and with an incision grooving, the invention proposes arrange the reinforcement band over the incision, fold to allow folding of the profile.

According to another embodiment, it is wrapped with the reinforcing strip a large part of the profile except for at least part of one of the faces of the bottom of said profile at the location of the fold line of the latter.

The invention proposes yet another process which is remarkable in that it consists in connecting two L-shaped sections that are joined to each other by one of their wings by means of a joining strip fixed on said wings.

Finally, invention also proposes an installation for the implementation process which is remarkable in that it includes, in addition to the known stations of making a U-shaped section, a grooving station arranged to make a groove longitudinal part of the profile to form the bottom of said U-shaped profile.

• la figure 1 représente schématiquement en coupe un empilement de profilés en U classiques,
• la figure 2 représente schématiquement en coupe un empilement de profilés selon l'invention,
• les figures 3, 4 et 5 représentent un profilé selon l'invention pourvu d'une ligne de pliage obtenue selon trois modes de réalisation,
• les figures 6, 7 et 8 représentent des postes pour des installations de fabrication de profilés selon l'invention, notamment pour réaliser des profilés selon les figures respectivement 3, 4 et 5.
• les figures 9 à 19 représentent en vue d'extrémité divers types de profilés selon l'invention, en position d'utilisation (lettre a) et en position d'empilement (lettre b), c'est-à-dire en forme de W,
• la figure 20 montre une des étapes de fabrication du profilé de la figure 16.

The invention will be better understood following the description which follows and which refers to the appended drawings in which:

• FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a stack of conventional U-shaped sections,
• FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a stack of profiles according to the invention,
• FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show a profile according to the invention provided with a folding line obtained according to three embodiments,
• FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 represent stations for profile production installations according to the invention, especially for producing profiles according to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, respectively.
• FIGS. 9 to 19 show an end view of various types of profiles according to the invention, in the position of use (letter a) and in the stacking position (letter b), that is to say in the form of W,
• FIG. 20 shows one of the steps for manufacturing the profile of FIG. 16.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a stack of several sections in U classics.

The profiles are associated here in pairs with a head-to-tail arrangement by overlap.

We can easily see the huge loss of space storage and / or during the transport of such conventional profiles.

On the contrary, FIG. 2 shows a stack of profiles according to the invention and we can see how such profiles allow optimized stacking by ensuring a very important gain of place.

The following figures will help to describe the particularities and the way to manufacture profiles according to the invention.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 show three embodiments of the invention.

The profiles 1 shown in said Figures 3, 4 and 5 are U-shaped and consist of a bottom 1a and two side wings 1b and 1c.

As is evident from FIGS. 3 to 5, the bottom 1a presents in the vicinity of its center line and over its entire length a fold line 2, 2 ', 2 "intended to be behave like a hinge. However, it is clear that said fold line could be offset with respect to said median line.

Each folding line shown 2, 2 ', 2 "is shown in FIGS. and 5 in the form of a groove (word to be considered in its widest sense), the groove 2 of Figure 3 being formed by depressing the material with its side concave on the inner face of the bottom 1a of the profile, the groove 2 'being made by removal of material on the outer face of the bottom 1a of the profile and the groove 2 "being made by incision made on the inner face of the bottom 1a of the profile.

The profiles are partly manufactured in known manner, for example from resistant strips or sheets, in particular of cardboard or in the form of a complex cardboard-polyolefins, which are laminated together.

Generally, the folding line according to the invention is produced during manufacture when the product is still in a flat form, that is to say before embodiment of the wings by folding.

To make the fold lines according to FIGS. 3 to 5, it will be possible to use clothing stations of the type shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8, which figures show the machining of a semi-finished product 3 in band taken between two means rotary 4, 5 respectively; 6, 7; 8, 9.

The means 4, 5 of FIG. 6 are in the form of rolls or cylinders which respectively comprise a circumferential projection 4 'for the one and one corresponding groove 5 'for the other so as to allow a depression of the material to obtain a profile according to fig.

If the means 7 and 9 of FIGS. 7 and 8 are rollers or smooth rolls, the means 6 is a milling system, that is to say with removal of material, and the medium 8 a roller provided with a circular knife 8 'intended to make an incision in the thickness of the material, the positions shown in Figures 7 and 8 being intended for make profiles according to the figures respectively 4 and 5.

The shaping stations shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8 are arranged between two conventional U-profile production stations, such as sticking and pressing strips, positions to shape (folding wings), any posts to wrap, bucking stations, etc.

Thus, the invention concerns not only U-shaped profiles provided with a line 2, 2 ', 2 "folding formed on the bottom 1a of the profile, but also the process of manufacture and the means for its implementation.

It is easily understood that the profiles thus obtained can take a position of storage and / or transport in W, as shown in particular on the 2, simply by spreading the wings 1b, 1c one of the other, while being able to sure to use a U-shaped position in order, for example, to manufacture a packaging container made from two interlocking U-profiles.

The invention proposes a very large number of embodiments as shown by in particular FIGS. 9 to 20, the drawings noted (a) representing, as already said, the profiles in position of use and the drawings noted (b) the profiles in position storage and / or transport.

FIG. 9 shows a profile of the type of that of FIG. 3 with a groove by embedding (which could also be done with a concavity on the outer face of the bottom 1a).

FIG. 10 shows a profile of the type of that of FIG. 4 with a groove made by removal of material.

FIG. 11 shows an embodiment similar to that of FIG. 10 but in which the groove has been made on the inner face of the bottom of the profile.

Figures 12 and 13 correspond respectively to Figures 10 and 11 but in these embodiments, the fold line has been reinforced by a strip of reinforcement 10, 10 'applied on the face of the bottom of the profile which is opposed to the provided face the groove forming the fold line.

As clearly shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the band of the reinforcement 10 is applied on only part of the bottom width but it could be applied over the entire width of said bottom.

Figure 14 which corresponds to Figure 13, however, has an envelope 11 which reinforces the fold line, while wrapping a large part of the profile with the exception of the bottom face provided with the groove, such wrapping being in addition to having a stiffening effect and / or an aesthetic purpose.

FIG. 15 shows a profile of the type of that of FIG. 5 with a line of folding or grooving made by incision.

Figures 16 and 17 show profiles provided with grooves made also by incision but with reinforcement strips respectively 12, 12 'applied on the bottom face provided with the incision (Figure 16) or the opposite side respectively to that provided with said incision (Figure 17) in a corresponding manner in this last case in Figure 13.

In the embodiment of FIG. 16, however, the invention proposes a interesting feature.

To allow easy folding (see view b of FIG. 16), the reinforcing strip 12 has at the groove by incision a fold.

To obtain the aforementioned foldback (ie a double zigzag fold), can of course use any suitable means to fold and fix said band after having performed the incision as shown in more detail in Figure 20.

FIG. 18 shows a profile provided with a groove like those in FIGS. 15 to 17 and corresponds to FIG. 14 as to the envelope referenced here 13.

As for Figure 19, it proposes a very particular embodiment, in which the U-section is obtained from two L-shaped sections 1 ', 1 " by the edge of one of their wings by means of a strip of connection 14 reported for example by gluing on one of the faces of said wings, as shown by the figure 19.

Moreover, and to complete this last embodiment, it is also possible to in this case, provide an adhesive joint and / or latex and / or silicone, or other, arranged between the slices of said wings and shown here in dotted lines to improve the hinge effect of this embodiment.

The invention of course relates to other possible embodiments that those shown, such as, for example, the embodiment of Figure 9 with a reinforcing strip, the embodiment of FIG. 19 with a joining strip more enveloping, etc.

Claims (13)

1. U-section (1) including a base (1a) and two lateral wings (1b, 1c), characterised by the fact that it is provided in its base (1a) with a longitudinal fold line (2, 2', 2") so that the said base (1a) can be folded inwardly simultaneously as the wings (1b, 1c) are opened out, in such a way that the section can as required adopt a substantially W-shaped form, thus facilitating its stacking in particular for its storage and/or transport.
2. Section (1) as described in claim 1, characterised by the fact that the longitudinal fold line (2, 2', 2") is situated substantially in the vicinity of the median line of the base (1a) of the section.
3. Process for manufacture of a U-section (1) as described in one of claims 1 and 2, characterised by the fact that it consists, during the manufacture of the section, of providing a step of formation of a longitudinal fold line (2, 2', 2") in the base (1a) of the said section.
4. Process as described in claim 3, characterised by the fact that the fold line (2, 2', 2") is created in a semi-finished product, before creation of the wings (1b, 1c) of the section (1) by folding.
5. Process as described in one of claims 3 and 4 for manufacture of U-sections from strips of laminated material, in particular made of cardboard or a cardboard-polyolefin complex, characterised by the fact that it consists of creating a fold line (2, 2', 2") by a grooving operation.
6. Process as described in claim 5, characterised by the fact that the grooving operation is effected by crushing (2) without removal of material.
7. Process as described in claim 5, characterised by the fact that the grooving operation is effected by milling (2') with removal of material.
8. Process as described in claim 5, characterised by the fact that the grooving operation is effected by incision (2") on the inside face of the base (1a).
9. Process as described in one of claims 3 to 8, characterised by the fact that the fold line (2, 2', 2") is reinforced on at least one of the faces of the base of the section by an attached reinforcement strip (10, 10', 12, 12').
10. Process as described in claims 8 and 9 taken together, characterised by the fact that it consists of arranging the reinforcement strip (12) over the incision, forming a fold in this position to allow folding of the section.
11. Process as described in one of claims 9 and 10, characterised by the fact that it consists of enveloping with the reinforcement strip (11, 13) a large part of the section with the exception of at least a part of one of the faces of the base (1a) of the said section in the location of the fold line of the latter.
12. Process as described in claim 3, characterised by the fact that it consists of joining two butted L-sections (1, 1') to each other by one of their wings by means of a joining strip (14) fixed onto the said wings.
13. Apparatus for implementing the process as described in one of claims 3 to 11, characterised by the fact that it includes, in addition to the known stations for making a U-section (1), a grooving station (4, 5; 6, 7; 8, 9) arranged to form a longitudinal groove (2, 2', 2") in the part of the section which is to form the base (1a) of the said U-section.

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