EP1801029A1 - Plastic pouch having two compartments - Google Patents

Abstract

The plastic bag is divided into two chambers (8, 9) by a transverse peelable seam (6). This allows two different components contained in the chambers to be mixed by squeezing the bag. An independent claim is included for a method for making the bag.

Description

The invention relates to a foil bag having a first chamber and a second chamber for storing a first and a second liquid component. The first and second chambers are separated by a peel seam that opens when pressure is applied, thereby connecting the two chambers and contacting the two liquid components.

In the manufacture of foams, the precursors are filled in one or two components together with a propellant in a pressure-resistant box or other pressure-resistant container having a valve and ancillary means for introducing the foam into the cavity to be filled, for. B. between wall and door frame, has.

A major disadvantage both in terms of environmental protection and the cost is the propellant. As propellants gas mixtures such as propane / butane are often used. Since such mixtures are flammable, their use involves a risk because the pressure vessel may burst, for example, when exposed to heat or damage.

Another problem is that the disposal of the resulting waste is complicated because a mixture of metal (the container), various plastics (valve, lines, foam residues, etc.) is obtained.

This problem increases when residues of toxic components remain in the containers. For example, when removing polyurethane foams (PUR), the remains of the highly toxic isocyanates must also be disposed of. Every year, about 25 million polyurethane foam cans enter the market. Leading European manufacturers of polyurethane foam cans have a joint take-back and recycling system for used PU foam cans by PU-Dosen-Recycling GmbH + Co. Betriebs-KG (PDR) built up. This is of course associated with a high cost of transportation and treatment. For reusable systems, the pressure vessels must be dismantled and specially cleaned, which is also time consuming and costly. Finally, the containers themselves and the process of filling in the manufacture of the product (regardless of the blowing agent used) are complex and expensive. Tank and valve must be pressure-resistant and checked. The propellants must either be filled under high pressure or at low temperature and the container sealed.

A system for storing and mixing two-component systems without propellant is disclosed in US Pat DE 4204181 A1 disclosed. The two components are arranged in a foil bag in two chambers, between which a separating rail is positioned. Before use, the separating rail is removed, whereby the contents of the two chambers come into contact and can be mixed. The film bag may contain, for example, a polyol and an isocyanate for producing a polyurethane. A disadvantage of this construction is that the incorporation of a separating rail in a foil bag is relatively complicated. On the one hand, another component has to be stably connected to the foil bag, on the other hand, it must be ensured that no connection, however small, remains between the chambers, through which the bag contents would no longer be usable after some time. Corresponding embodiments with separating rails or brackets are generally susceptible to mechanical effects, so that, for example, during transport, an undesired mixture of the components can be triggered.

The invention has for its object to provide a package for foaming in particular of polyurethane foams, which overcomes the disadvantages mentioned above. The packaging should in particular be easy to manufacture, allow a simple and safe use and can be disposed of after use without any special effort and environmentally friendly.

The problem underlying the invention is surprisingly achieved by a film bag, its use and method for the preparation according to claims 1 to 14.

The invention relates to a foil bag having a first chamber and a second chamber for storing a first and a second liquid component. The first and second chambers are separated by a peel seam which opens when pressure is applied. As a result, the two chambers are connected and the two liquid components come into contact.

A "Peelnaht" within the meaning of the invention is a sealed seam, in which the seal is released upon exertion of an external pressure. The peel seam according to the invention is dense, so that no water can pass from one chamber of the foil bag into the other chamber. The Peelnaht is such that it can be broken open by hand, z. B. by kinking. The peel seam is preferably produced by sealing in a sealing window of 135-165 ° C. with a sealing time of less than one second.

The foil bag may for example have a rectangular or square shape. The volume of the two chambers is selected in view of the volume ratio of the two liquid components. The film container preferably has a total volume of 10 ml to 10 l, more preferably between 50 ml and 5 l or between 200 ml and 2 l.

The foil bag preferably has three sealing seams laterally and is folded on the fourth side. The folded side is preferably the longitudinal side, which closes both chambers.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the foil bag has a lateral extension for dispensing, which tapers to a point. Such a lateral "tip" facilitates the discharge of the foam. This is after breaking the peel seam and mixing the Components in the foil bag have the tip bent or torn off at a suitable seam. By discharging from the tip, an accurate positioning of the foam, for example in cavities, is made possible. The lateral extension (tip) is obtained in a preferred embodiment, because one of the two lateral sealing seams is positioned obliquely to the peel seam, preferably at an angle of 20 to 70 °, particularly preferably 30 to 60 °, in particular 45 °. One of the two chambers comprises the volume of the lateral extension. Such an embodiment is shown schematically in FIG. The lateral extension according to the invention does not refer to a 90 ° corner of a tubular bag in a rectangular shape.

The inventive design with lateral sharpening extension is compared with known Austragungsvorrichtungen, z. B. with a nozzle or an attached hose, very beneficial. The production is extremely simple, since no additional materials such as hoses, valves, etc. are needed. The film bag is therefore more stable, and the particular problem of lack of tightness is not given. The tip according to the invention is also particularly suitable for the discharge of polyurethanes and similar foams which already harden during discharge. In conventional hoses, the foam often already cures in the discharge device and clogs them.

In known systems of foil bags with adapter tubes, the attempt to apply a rapidly expanding PU foam, in particular a mounting foam, which must have special adhesive properties, has failed in practice for several reasons. Since the PU foam spreads rapidly during the reaction phase, a suitably large outlet opening must be present, since the mounting foam naturally adheres to any surface due to its adhesive properties. Since PUR foam has to travel a relatively long distance through an adapter tube, the likelihood of unwanted adhesion over the entire length of the tube is very high. Since the PUR Foam further expands and settle on discharging increasing amounts by the adhesive properties, there is a blockage before complete emptying of the bag.

This problem is inventively solved by the lateral taper of the foil bag. Bonding with normal use is therefore excluded. The tip shape allows the expanding foam to spread into the tip without sticking or compressing, and be discharged quickly without premature curing.

The corners of the film tube and the outer tip of the lateral extension may be rounded.

Preferably, the foil bag is made of a composite material. This consists for example of an inner polymer layer, a middle metal layer and an outer polymer layer. In a preferred embodiment, the inner layer is made of polyethylene (PE), the middle layer of aluminum and / or the outer layer of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The layers are preferably produced by extrusion and are connected for example by laminating adhesive.

In a preferred embodiment, the film bag is used to produce a polyurethane. The first chamber contains a polyol and the second chamber contains an isocyanate.

In a further preferred embodiment, the first chamber contains a mineral building material, preferably cement, lime, gypsum or a mixture thereof, and the second chamber substantially water.

Preferably, the film bag according to the invention is turned over at the peel seam, so that both chambers are arranged one above the other, and fixed in this position. In this form, the foil bag can be stored and transported. Before using and breaking the peel seam, the fixation is released and the bag is opened again, so that both chambers are arranged side by side. During storage and transport of the Film bag is achieved in this way increased stability and prevents damage or unwanted breakage of the peel seam.

The film bag preferably consists of a special PET / aluminum / PE film composite. The blowing agent is generated at the time of foam application by a chemical reaction. The components for producing the foam and the blowing agent, which react chemically with each other, are located in two chambers of the film container which are separated from one another by a peel seam. This preferably runs pointed on one side and has two chambers. The Peelnaht breaks at a certain force, causing a merging of the components within the film container.

For example, the invention enables the provision of a final package of an aluminum composite film pouch for foaming polyurethane foams in small quantities.

Upon opening of the film container, the foam exits the bag as a pre-expanded foam strand by the progressive chemical reaction. The exiting foam strand can be introduced via the lateral tip of the film bag in a auszuschäumenden cavity. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the film bag consists of a vapor-diffusion-tight PET layer, a UV-repellent aluminum layer and a PE layer. Such composite materials are known and are described, for example, in DE 4204181 A1 ,

The inner PE layer is preferably designed so that a slight peel seam and at the same time tight sealing seams can be produced in the same operation. The processing temperatures of the seams are preferably in a large sealing window, whereby a production on machines in the first place is made possible.

The peel seam is preferably produced in an automated process. It comes with two tongs from both sides at the same time peeled. When using a composite film of PET / aluminum / PE, the generation of the peel seam is preferably carried out in a temperature window of 135 ° C to 165 ° C and at a sealing time of less than one second, preferably between 0.2 and 0.6 seconds. The peel seam preferably has a peel strength between 4.7 N / 15 mm and 7.8 N / 15 mm.

The firm sealing seam is achieved by a temperature-sealing window> 220 ° C with a sealing time of approx. 2-3 seconds. Again, the seal is done with two heating tongs on both sides. A seal seam strength of> 37 N / 15mm is achieved, which ensures a stable seal. The peel seam and sealed seam can be made in one operation.

In a preferred embodiment, the film bag according to the invention is produced as follows: The film is prefabricated with a peel seam in the middle, a sealed seam on the side opposite the top and a sealed seam on the long slope. The top remains open and is used for later filling the components. The bottom is not sealed, but folded. This has the consequence that the foil bag forms a "belly" during filling and thus the components in the "belly" are distributed during the final sealing or closure of the bag and do not flow out of the bag on the still open side. This allows for end sealing with a commercially available bag closing device rather than welding tongs, thereby achieving more effective production. Preferably, during filling prior to introduction of the two components, dry nitrogen is injected into the bag chambers to vent any moisture entering the chambers through ambient air. The remaining bag opening is then sealed. This can be done with a sealing pliers, but it is recommended that a bag closing device, as this device can be manufactured in higher quantities and it is easier to integrate in an automatic filling.

In order to achieve a transportation security of the peel seam, in a preferred embodiment the bag is folded and fixed directly on the peel seam. This can, for example, with a paper seal, a clip or a splice that can be ruptured by hand. This ensures that mechanical pressure on the foil bag does not lead to uncontrolled opening of the peel seam. The paper seal can also be used to print information such as article number, R and S phrases etc.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the contents of the first chamber consist essentially of a mineral building material such as cement, lime, gypsum or a mixture thereof, optionally mixed with sand, and the second chamber contains substantially water.

The film bag has a sufficient volume that can be achieved by the progressive chemical reaction between the polyol and the isocyanate and thus the resulting polyurethane proper processing consistency within the film container and the foam is sufficiently distended. So it can be ensured that the foam strand has reached a sufficient degree of expansion at the exit from the film container and can be easily entered into the cavities. This has the advantage that the foam strand immediately finds a hold in the cavity, without the need to use as in systems of the prior art aids such as cardboard strips and small wooden structures. The film bag according to the invention can be emptied or expressed without any aids or auxiliary devices.

To squeeze the laminated aluminum foil bag, an auxiliary mechanical device is not required because the composite aluminum foil bag, due to its supple and flexible nature, allows almost complete emptying.

The film bags according to the invention are versatile applicable, for example for the assembly of door and window frames, for doweling in cavities, for the secure packaging of packages, for the sealing and leveling of manhole covers and for the closure of wall ducts, for Türzargenmontage, filling columns between window frames and masonry, packaging of sensitive goods (Packaging foam), attaching lightweight components ("chemical dowel"), and foaming a cavity between the pipe and masonry (service line).

When the foil bag is for producing polyurethane foam, the first chamber contains a polyol and the second chamber contains an isocyanate. The preparation of the polyol and isocyanate component takes place depending on the requirements of the foams to be produced in terms of bulk density, mechanical characteristics, fire behavior and dimensional stability.

The polyol component is preferably a polyether having a functionality of 2-3 and an OH number in the range 28-450. If the resulting foams, for example, meet the building material class B2, additional polyester or ester ethers with OH numbers between 60 and 350 are used. Chlorinated and non-chlorinated phosphoric esters and organic phosphorus compounds and brominated flame retardants are preferably used as flame retardants. As foam stabilizers and cell openers Polyetherpolysiloxanes can be used. The reactivity preferably control primary, secondary and tertiary amines and organometallic compounds. The blowing agent used is carbon dioxide, which is formed in the reaction of the isocyanate with the water contained in the polyol formulation. About the water content, which can be up to 20%, the required density for the application is set. The gross density range is preferably between 10 and 450 kg / m ³ .

The isocyanate component is preferably a polymeric diphenylmethane diisocyanate ("crude MDI") or a monomeric diphenylmethane diisocyanate.

The production of the aluminum foil container and its filling with the components can also be done automatically with low production engineering effort. In particular, by dispensing with a separating rod, the production is significantly simplified and also increases the safety and reliability of the packaging. An additional propellant or other pressurizing aid is not needed. For transport, Storage and application of the film bag according to the invention, the material is not affected and a hazard to the user is not given. The film bag according to the invention is particularly economical because the entire bag, including the separation between the chambers and the tip for discharging the foam, consists of a single composite material.

In use, the user exerts a force on the film container to open the peel seam within the film container and bring the two components into contact. The mixing of the components within the film container by kneading by hand can be carried out very homogeneously, without a special mixing nozzle or other mixing device is necessary. The chemical reaction occurring after the opening of the peel seam releases the propellant gas. The two components polyol and isocyanate are mixed and polymerized to polyurethane. The polyurethane is foamed and fills the volume of the film container. This is so dimensioned that the film container is filled tightly when the polyurethane has the correct consistency for introduction into the cavity to be filled. The user only has to open the film container, preferably on a tip, and express it. Such a two-part polyurethane foam is typically dischargeable about 1 to 10 minutes after mixing the components.

Depending on the application and requirements of the foam, the two components are selected and adjusted in such a way that, after opening the peel seam, there is sufficient processing time for mixing the components and discharging, during which time the foam does not harden. For assembly foam, the processing time is preferably between 3 to 4 minutes and for packaging foam at about 1 minute. For masonry foam, a period of 6-7 minutes is preferred.

What remains is a small amount of waste, which consists essentially only of the expressed film container and low, not fully expressed polyurethane residues. These harden and are then healthful harmless. This simplifies disposal and recycling considerably. A collection, disassembly and component separation, as is the case with the usual pressure cans, is not required. The very low masses and volumes of waste further simplify disposal. The low pressure during foaming of the material, which also occurs only at the time of foaming, and the absence of a combustible propellant from hydrocarbons also leads to a significant improvement in safety for the user.

Characters:

1 shows a schematic structure of a film bag (1) according to the invention with two chambers (8, 9), two lateral sealing seams (4, 10), a lower side (2), an upper side (3), which is not yet sealed, and a peel seam 6. The peel seam separates the two chambers (8, 9) from each other. Shown is also an envelope line (7) on which the bag can be folded.

Figure 2 shows a schematic structure of a film bag according to the invention according to Figure 1. The bag also has a lateral extension (1) for discharging the foam, which tapers to a point.

embodiment

The film components are produced in an extruder process and then brought in a lamination process using laminating adhesive in a composite of PET 12 microns, aluminum foil 9 microns and PE 60 microns. The composite has a water-diffusion tightness of less than 0.01 g / m ² (38 ° C, 90% rh). Subsequently, the finished film is first pre-folded on a punching and sealing machine and then cut simultaneously with a punching and sealing tool to measure. The lateral sealing seams are produced above 220 ° C at 1 s sealing time. The middle peel seam is in a sealed window of 135 - 165 ° C for 0.3 s made between two pliers. The opening on the long side of the bag remains open and serves for later filling.

For the filling of polyol and isocyanate raw materials, a volume filler is used. Since the raw materials have a natural susceptibility to ambient moisture, dry technical nitrogen is filled into the bag compartments before the components are filled. This will expel any moisture present in the chambers and ensure that the components do not come into contact with moisture during the subsequent filling process. After the two components are filled, the last bag opening is sealed with a bag closing device.

After the sealing process, the bag is folded on the peel seam and fixed with a paper seal. As a result, the bag or peel seam is secured against transport-related shocks.

Before using the film bag, the paper seal is torn open and the bag unfolds. By a slight pressure, the peel seam is opened and the components are connected. By vigorous kneading (20-30 times), the two components are mixed homogeneously. Since the film is very flexible and handy, one achieves optimum mixing of the components by kneading alone, without the use of additional mixing nozzles or similar aids in the interior or exterior of the bag. After the components are mixed homogeneously, the natural reaction begins, which is felt by a slight warming of the bag on the outside.

Subsequently, the bag is cut at the side extension. The desired foam strand size can be adjusted by cutting at the appropriate place on the bag tip. If you want a small strand, the tip must be cut closer to the tip of the bag, and in the case of a thicker strand, it must be cut more towards the center of the bag.

After the bag is cut open, the foam slowly exits the opening. The foam is applied by a light pressure on the bag discharged. Since the foam expands only slowly, there is sufficient time to introduce the foam specifically into a cavity, settle and execute again. This means that when a first portion has been discharged by light pressure on the bag, the pressure on the bag is withdrawn, with the result that the expanding foam temporarily stops emerging from the opening, but expands into the released interior of the bag , As a result, position changes are easily possible.

After using the bag, the bag, even after incomplete emptying, via the dual system (Green Dot) can be returned to the cycle of waste management, as there are only polyurethane residues in the bag, which are safe for health after curing.

Claims (14)

A foil pouch having a first chamber and a second chamber for holding a first and a second liquid component, wherein the first and second chambers are separated by a peel seam, whereby the two chambers are joined and the two liquid components come into contact. Film bag according to claim 1 for producing a polyurethane foam, characterized in that in the first chamber, a polyol and in the second chamber is an isocyanate. Foil bag according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has three sealing seams laterally and is folded on the fourth side. Foil bag according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it has a lateral extension for discharging, which tapers to a point. Foil bag according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the lateral extension is obtained by one of the two lateral sealing seams is positioned obliquely to the peel seam. Film bag according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it consists of a composite material comprising an inner polymer layer, a middle metal layer and an outer polymer layer. Film bag according to claim 6, characterized in that the inner layer consists of polyethylene, the middle layer of aluminum and / or the outer layer of polyethylene terephthalate. Foil bag according to claim 7, characterized in that foam stabilizers, cell openers, flame retardants, amines, organometallic compounds and / or water are contained in the first chamber. Foil bag according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the first chamber contains a mineral building material, preferably cement, lime, gypsum or a mixture thereof, and the second chamber substantially water. Foil bag according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it is folded over at the peel seam and fixed in this position. Film bag according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the peel seam has a Peelnahtfestigkeit between 4.7 N / 15 mm and 7.8 N / 15 mm. Use of a film bag according to any one of claims 1 to 11, for the production of polyurethane foams, building materials or adhesives. Method for producing a film bag with two chambers and a top and bottom, each of which closes both chambers, and two sides, each of which closes a chamber, wherein - the bottom is folded and the top is open, the film is provided with two sealing seams on the sides and with a peel seam, by means of which the first chamber is separated from the second chamber, - in the two chambers, the two liquid components are given, and - The foil bag is sealed at the top. The method of claim 13, wherein the peel seam is produced in a temperature window of 135 ° C to 165 ° C and at a seal time of less than one second.

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