EP2760655A1 - Systèmes pour former des matériaux d'agrégat à partir de matériaux en poudre pouvant fondre à la chaleur - Google Patents
Systèmes pour former des matériaux d'agrégat à partir de matériaux en poudre pouvant fondre à la chaleurInfo
- Publication number
- EP2760655A1 EP2760655A1 EP12772847.5A EP12772847A EP2760655A1 EP 2760655 A1 EP2760655 A1 EP 2760655A1 EP 12772847 A EP12772847 A EP 12772847A EP 2760655 A1 EP2760655 A1 EP 2760655A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- mold
- lower open
- topped
- upper mold
- moldable material
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
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
- B29C44/00—Shaping by internal pressure generated in the material, e.g. swelling or foaming ; Producing porous or cellular expanded plastics articles
- B29C44/34—Auxiliary operations
- B29C44/58—Moulds
- B29C44/586—Moulds with a cavity increasing in size during foaming
-
- 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
- B29C44/00—Shaping by internal pressure generated in the material, e.g. swelling or foaming ; Producing porous or cellular expanded plastics articles
- B29C44/34—Auxiliary operations
- B29C44/60—Measuring, controlling or regulating
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29K—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR MOULDS, REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
- B29K2105/00—Condition, form or state of moulded material or of the material to be shaped
- B29K2105/25—Solid
- B29K2105/251—Particles, powder or granules
-
- 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
- B29L2007/00—Flat articles, e.g. films or sheets
- B29L2007/002—Panels; Plates; Sheets
Definitions
- the present specification generally relates to systems for forming aggregate materials from heat fusable powdered materials and, more specifically, to systems for forming aggregate materials from heat fusable powdered materials including a foaming agent.
- sheets of metal or other suitable sheet material may be utilized, but in any case the formation of such panels by conventional methods tends to involve a relatively slow and cumbersome multi-stage process, because of the necessity to pre-form some components and then to manipulate them into the required arrangement for forming the final structure. Where it is required to manufacture relatively large structural panels, for instance, sizes such as 2.4 m x 1.2 m, it is consequently expensive to automate such known systems because of the need for complex handing equipment.
- a system for forming aggregate materials may include a lower open-topped mold, an upper mold, an actuation assembly, a heating system, a pressure sensor, and a controller.
- the lower open-topped mold can receive a heat moldable material that can include a foaming agent.
- the upper mold can cooperate with the lower open-topped mold to form an enclosure.
- the actuation assembly can be coupled to the lower open-topped mold, the upper mold, or both to generate relative inward motion between the lower open- topped mold and the upper mold and relative outward motion between the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold.
- the heating system can be in thermal communication with the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold.
- the pressure sensor can be operably coupled to the lower open-topped mold, the upper mold, or both.
- the pressure sensor can transmit a pressure signal indicative of back pressure provided by the heat moldable material.
- the controller can be communicatively coupled to the actuation assembly and the heating system.
- the controller can execute machine readable control logic to generate relative inward motion of the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold with the actuation assembly to enclose the heat moldable material.
- the lower open-topped mold can contact the heat moldable material and the upper mold can contact the heat moldable material.
- the controller can execute machine readable control logic to heat the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold with the heating system to a foaming temperature.
- the foaming temperature can fuse the heat moldable material and activate the foaming agent.
- the controller can execute machine readable control logic to receive the pressure signal from the pressure sensor.
- the controller can execute machine readable control logic to cause the actuation assembly to generate relative outward motion at an expansion rate.
- the foaming agent can expand the heat moldable material.
- the lower open-topped mold can maintain close contact with the heat moldable material, and the upper mold can maintain close contact with the heat moldable material.
- the expansion rate of the relative outward motion can be based upon the pressure signal.
- a system for forming aggregate materials may include a lower open-topped mold, an upper mold, an actuation assembly, a heating system a pressure sensor, and a controller.
- the lower open-topped mold can receive a heat moldable material.
- the heat moldable material may include a lower layer and an upper layer of relatively fine grain material, and a core layer of relatively coarse grain material disposed between the lower layer and the upper layer, the core layer may include a foaming agent.
- the upper mold can cooperate with the lower open-topped mold to form an enclosure.
- the actuation assembly can be coupled to the lower open-topped mold, the upper mold, or both to generate relative inward motion between the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold and relative outward motion between the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold.
- the heating system can be in thermal communication with the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold.
- the pressure sensor can be operably coupled to the lower open-topped mold, the upper mold, or both.
- the pressure sensor can transmit a pressure signal indicative of back pressure provided by the heat moldable material.
- the controller can be communicatively coupled to the actuation assembly and the heating system. When the heat moldable material is received by the lower open-topped mold, the controller can execute machine readable control logic to generate relative inward motion of the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold with the actuation assembly to enclose the heat moldable material.
- the lower open- topped mold can contact the heat moldable material and the upper mold can contact the heat moldable material.
- the controller can execute machine readable control logic to heat the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold to a pre-heat temperature with the heating system.
- the pre-heat temperature can fuse the upper layer and/or the lower layer of the heat moldable material and not activate the foaming agent.
- the controller can execute machine readable control logic to heat the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold from the preheat temperature to a foaming temperature with the heating system.
- the controller can execute machine readable control logic to receive the pressure signal from the pressure sensor.
- the controller can execute machine readable control logic to generate relative outward motion of the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold at an expansion rate with the actuation assembly.
- the foaming agent can expand the heat moldable material.
- the lower open-topped mold can maintain close contact with the heat moldable material
- the upper mold can maintain close contact with the heat moldable material.
- the expansion rate of the relative outward motion can be based upon the pressure signal.
- a system for forming aggregate materials may include a lower open-topped mold, an upper mold, an actuation assembly, a heating system, a cooling system, a pressure sensor, and a controller.
- the lower open-topped mold can receive a heat moldable material including a foaming agent.
- the upper mold can cooperate with the lower open-topped mold to form an enclosure.
- the actuation assembly can be coupled to the lower open-topped mold, the upper mold, or both to generate relative inward motion between the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold and relative outward motion between the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold.
- the heating system can be in thermal communication with the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold.
- the cooling system can be in thermal communication with the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold.
- the pressure sensor can be operably coupled to the lower open-topped mold, the upper mold, or both.
- the pressure sensor can transmit a pressure signal indicative of back pressure provided by the heat moldable material.
- the controller can be communicatively coupled to the actuation assembly, the heating system, and the cooling system.
- the controller can execute machine readable control logic to generate relative inward motion of the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold with the actuation assembly to enclose the heat moldable material.
- the lower open-topped mold can contact the heat moldable material and the upper mold contacts the heat moldable material.
- the controller can execute machine readable control logic to heat the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold to a pre-heat temperature with the heating system.
- the pre-heat temperature may fuse the heat moldable material and not activate the foaming agent.
- the controller can execute machine readable control logic to heat the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold from the pre-heat temperature to a foaming temperature with the heating system.
- the foaming temperature can activate the foaming agent.
- the controller can execute machine readable control logic to receive the pressure signal from the pressure sensor.
- the controller can execute machine readable control logic to generate relative outward motion of the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold at an expansion rate with the actuation assembly.
- the foaming agent can expand the heat moldable material. During the outward motion, the lower open-topped mold can maintain close contact with the heat moldable material, and the upper mold can maintain close contact with the heat moldable material.
- the expansion rate of the relative outward motion can be based upon the pressure signal.
- the controller can execute machine readable control logic to cool the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold from the foaming temperature with the cooling system.
- the controller can execute machine readable control logic to generate relative inward motion of the lower open-topped mold and the upper mold at a contraction rate with the actuation assembly.
- the lower open-topped mold can maintain close contact with the heat moldable material
- the upper mold can maintain close contact with the heat moldable material.
- the contraction rate of the relative outward motion can be based upon the pressure signal.
- FIG. 1 schematically depicts a system for forming aggregate materials according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 2A schematically depicts a process for forming aggregate materials according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 2B schematically depicts a process for forming aggregate materials according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 3 depicts a flow chart of exemplary control logic for forming aggregate materials according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 4 depicts a flow chart of exemplary control logic for forming aggregate materials according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
- FIG. 5 depicts a flow chart of exemplary control logic for forming aggregate materials according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein.
- the term "sensor” means a device that detects a physical quantity and converts it into a signal that is correlated to the detected value of the physical quantity.
- signal means a waveform (e.g., electrical, optical, magnetic, or electromagnetic waveforms) capable of traveling through a medium such as DC, AC, sinusoidal-wave, triangular-wave, square-wave, and the like.
- the phrase "communicatively coupled” means that components are capable of exchanging data signals with one another such as, for example, electrical signals via conductive medium, electromagnetic signals via air, optical signals via optical waveguides, and the like.
- FIG. 1 generally depicts one embodiment of a system for forming aggregate materials.
- the system generally comprises an upper mold, a lower open-topped mold, an actuation assembly for generating relative motion between the molds and a heating system for heating the molds.
- actuation assembly for generating relative motion between the molds
- heating system for heating the molds.
- the system 10 may comprise a lower open-topped mold 20 for imparting a shape upon a raw material.
- the lower open-topped mold 20 can comprise one or more sidewalls 24 that that are configured to surround raw material that is shaped by the mold and a base 25 that cooperates with the one or more sidewalls 24 to form a mold shape.
- the lower open-topped mold 20 may be coupled to a lower support structure 22 that is capable of supporting the lower open-topped mold 20 and withstanding repeated actuation, as is described in greater detail herein.
- the system 10 may further comprise an upper mold 30 that cooperates with the lower open-topped mold 20 to impart a shape upon a raw material.
- the upper mold 30 and the lower open-topped mold 20 may cooperate and interlock such that a raw material is substantially enclosed throughout a molding process.
- the upper mold 30 may be coupled to an upper support structure 32 that is capable of durably supporting the upper mold 30 for multiple molding cycles, i.e., the molds may be used in repeated cycles to produce a high volume of molded articles.
- the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30 may be formed from any material suitable to withstand repeated thermodynamic cycling while maintaining a substantially controlled shape such as, for example, a metallic (e.g., aluminum) or ceramic.
- the lower support structure 22 and the upper support structure 32 may be formed from similar materials as the lower open- topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30 or any other material having substantially similar or lower thermal conductivity.
- the system 10 may further include an actuation assembly 12 for generating relative motion between the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30.
- the actuation assembly 12 can be utilized to control the position of the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30 to allow raw material to be loaded into the lower open-topped mold 20.
- the actuation assembly 12 may provide pressure to the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30 while the raw material is being shaped by the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30.
- the actuation assembly 12 may include any number of actuators capable of transferring a controlled amount of force upon the lower open-topped mold 20, the upper mold 30, or both.
- each actuator may be pneumatic, electrical, hydraulic, or any other device capable of transforming an input signal into motion.
- each actuator may be linear or rotary.
- the actuation assembly 12 may comprise a linear actuator disposed at each corner of a square shaped support structure coupled to upper mold 30.
- the system 10 may comprise a heating system for providing thermal energy to an endo thermic molding process.
- the heating system may include a plurality of heating devices 14 in thermal communication with the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30 that cause the raw material to achieve a higher temperature.
- the heating devices may be electrical resistive heating elements, inductive heating elements, or any other device capable of transferring a substantially even amount of thermal energy across a surface of the raw material and/or a surface of a mold.
- the thermal energy can be produced by the heating devices 14 and then transferred to the raw material by conduction, convection or radiation. Accordingly, it is noted that while, the heating devices 14 are depicted FIG.
- the heating devices 14 may be located external to the upper support structure 32, the lower support structure 22, the upper mold 30 and/or the lower open-topped mold 20.
- the heating devices 14 may alternatively or additionally be located within the upper mold 30 and/or the lower open-topped mold 20.
- the system 10 may further comprise a cooling system for reducing the temperature of the raw material.
- the cooling system may include a plurality of cooling devices 16 in thermal communication with the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30.
- the cooling devices 16 may be flow paths through which a cooling fluid is directed to remove heat from the raw material, or any other device capable of removing thermal energy from the raw material by conduction, convection or radiation.
- the cooling devices 16 are depicted FIG. 1 as being located within the upper support structure 32 and the lower support structure 22, the cooling devices 16 may be located external to the upper support structure 32, the lower support structure 22, the upper mold 30 and/or the lower open-topped mold 20.
- the cooling devices 16 may alternatively or additionally be located within the upper mold 30 and/or the lower open-topped mold 20.
- the system 10 may further comprise a pressure sensor 34 for measuring the back pressure provided by the raw material during a molding process.
- the pressure sensor 34 may be any sensor capable of detecting the resistive force of the raw material during processing such as, but not limited to, a load cell, a force transducer, an absolute pressure sensor, a gauge pressure sensor, or a differential pressure sensor. It is noted that, while the pressure sensor 34 is depicted as being located within the upper mold 30, the pressure sensor 34 may be located anywhere in the system 10 such that the pressure sensor is operable to detect the back pressure of the raw material such as, for example, within the lower open-topped mold 20, the upper mold 30, the upper support structure 32, the lower support structure 22, the actuation assembly 12, or combinations thereof.
- the system 10 may also comprise a position sensor 36 for detecting the position of the lower open-topped mold 20 and/or the upper mold 30.
- the absolute and/or relative position of each of the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30 may be detected along a single axis or multiple axes.
- the position sensor 36 may be any sensor capable of detecting linear and/or angular position such as an encoder, an optical sensor, an electrical sensor, and the like.
- the position sensor 36 may be located anywhere in the system 10 such that the position sensor 36 is operable to detect the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30 such as, for example, within the actuation assembly 12, the lower open-topped mold 20, the upper mold 30, the upper support structure 32, the lower support structure 22, the actuation assembly 12, or combinations thereof.
- the system 10 may comprise a temperature sensor 38 for detecting the temperature of the raw material.
- the temperature sensor 38 may be any sensor capable of detecting the temperature of the raw material directly or indirectly by measuring the temperature of the other components of the system 10.
- the temperature sensor 38 may include any device capable of detecting temperature such as, but not limited to, a
- thermometer thermometer, a thermocouple, a thermostat, infrared detector, and the like. It is noted that, while the temperature sensor 38 is depicted as being located within the upper mold 30 and the lower open-topped mold 20, the temperature sensor 38 may be located anywhere in the system 10 such that the temperature sensor 38 is operable to detect the temperature of and/or in thermal communication with the raw material such as, for example, within the lower open- topped mold 20, the upper mold 30, the upper support structure 32, the lower support structure 22, the actuation assembly 12, or combinations thereof.
- the system 10 comprises a controller 26 for executing machine readable instructions to control various aspects of the molding process.
- the controller 26 may be a processor, an integrated circuit, a microchip, a computer, programmable logic controller or any other computing device capable of executing machine readable instructions.
- the controller 26 may be communicatively coupled to a memory such as RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, a flash memory, a hard drive, or any device capable of storing machine readable instructions. Accordingly, the memory may store molding control logic and/or process recipes.
- embodiments of the present disclosure may comprise control logic or an algorithm written in any programming language of any generation (e.g., 1GL, 2GL, 3GL, 4GL, or 5GL) such as, e.g., machine language that may be directly executed by the controller, or assembly language, object-oriented programming (OOP), scripting languages, microcode, etc., that may be compiled or assembled into machine readable instructions and stored on a machine readable medium.
- the logic or algorithm may be written in a hardware description language (HDL), such as implemented via either a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) configuration or an application- specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and their equivalents.
- HDL hardware description language
- the system 10 may comprise an upper support structure 32 that is configured to move up and down a vertical axis (depicted in FIG.l as the y-axis).
- the upper support structure 32 may be slidingly engaged with a plurality of vertical risers 33.
- the actuation assembly 12 can be coupled to the upper support structure 32 to transport the upper support structure 32 vertically.
- the system 10 may further comprise a lower support structure 22 that can be positioned below the upper support structure 32.
- the distance between the upper support structure 32 and the lower support structure 22 can be adjusted by the actuation assembly 12.
- an upper mold 30 may be coupled to the upper support structure 32 and a lower open-topped mold 20 may be coupled to the lower support structure 22.
- the actuation assembly 12 can generate relative inward motion between the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30 and relative outward motion between the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30.
- the actuation assembly 12 may move the upper support structure 32 in the negative y-direction to cause relative inward motion between the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30.
- the actuation assembly 12 may move the upper support structure 32 in the positive y-direction to cause relative inward motion between the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30.
- the actuation assembly 12 may move the upper mold 30 throughout a range of positions that may include and be bounded by an open position and a clamped position.
- the open position the upper mold 30 can be moved away from the lower open- topped mold 20 such that the upper mold 30 is separated from the from the lower open- topped mold 20 along the y-axis.
- the clamped position the actuation assembly 12 forces the upper mold 30 into contact with the lower open-topped mold 20 such that further motion of the upper mold 30 along the negative y-direction is limited by the lower open-topped mold 20. It is noted that, while the actuation assembly 12 is depicted in FIG.
- the actuation assembly 12 may alternatively or additionally be coupled to any component of the system 10 such as the lower support structure 22, or any other component sufficient to allow the upper mold 30 and the lower open-topped mold 20 to move throughout an open position, a clamped position, and/or any position there between.
- the system 10 may comprise a conveyance system 18 for moving the lower support structure 22 laterally (depicted in FIG. 1 as along the x-axis). Accordingly, the lower open-topped mold 20 can be moved in and out of alignment with the upper mold 30.
- the conveyance system 18 is depicted in FIG.
- the conveyance system 18 may be any motive system capable of moving the lower support structure 22.
- the conveyance system 18 may include belts, enclosed tracks, I-Beams, towlines, and/or manually actuated rollers and/or wheels.
- the conveyance system 18 may be any shape and may accommodate any number of lower support structures 22 for batch processing of aggregate materials.
- the controller 26 can be communicatively coupled to various components of the system 10 and execute machine readable control logic to shape raw material into an aggregate material.
- the controller 26 can be communicatively coupled to the actuation assembly 12, heating devices 14, cooling devices 16, pressure sensors 34, position sensors 36 and temperature sensors 38. Accordingly, the controller 26 follow control logic to direct the system 10 in forming a heat moldable material 40 into an aggregate material 60 according to a process recipe.
- the heat moldable material 40 may be a thermoplastic such as, for example, polyolefins (e.g. polyethylenes, styrenics such as polystyrene, polyesters such as PET), thermosets (e.g. phenolics) and rubbers.
- the heat moldable material 40 generally comprises a temperature and/or a chemically activated foaming agent (blowing agent) such as, for example, exothermics, endothermics, and/or physical systems. Accordingly, the foaming agent may have an activation temperature at which the foaming agent forms a foam which causes expansion of the heat moldable material 40.
- Suitable exothermics include, but are not limited to, azodicarbonamide (e.g., Porofor® available from Lanxess or Celogen® available from Lion Copolymer), or sodium bicarbonate.
- Suitable endothermics include, but are not limited to, hydroxypropane tricarboxylic acid (e.g. Hydrocerol® available from Clariant).
- Physical systems can include for example nitrogen, pentane, or other gases, which can be preimpregnated in polystyrene or expanded polypropylene and released as a gas. Alternatively, nitrogen can be utilized in a system such as a "Zotefoam" nitrogen saturation process.
- the heat moldable material 40 may comprise one or more distinct layers.
- the heat moldable material 40 may comprise a lower layer 42, an upper layer 46 and a core layer 44 disposed between the lower layer 42 and the upper layer 46.
- the lower layer 42 may comprise relatively fine grain material that forms a lower surface 50.
- the upper layer 46 may comprise relatively fine grain material that forms an upper surface 48.
- the fine grain material can be a thermoplastic powder (e.g. polyethylene) where the average grain size is about 100 ⁇ to about 3,000 ⁇ in one embodiment, and in another
- heat moldable material 40 may be processed as described herein to form an aggregate material 60 having a lower skin layer 62 formed from the lower layer 42 and an upper skin layer 66 formed from the upper layer 46. It is believed, without being bound to theory, that the relatively fine grain material conforms more completely to the upper mold 30 and the lower open-topped mold relatively closely. Accordingly, the upper surface 68 and lower surface 70 may be made relatively smooth with smooth molds or may be made to more closely replicate the desired mold shape (e.g., to simulate natural stone, brick, timber, or any other building material).
- the core layer 44 of the heat moldable material 40 may comprise a foaming agent.
- the core layer may be formed from a relatively coarse grain material compared to the lower layer 42 and the upper layer 46.
- the coarse grain material can be a thermoplastic powder (e.g. polyethylene) where the average grain of up to about 10 mm.
- the core layer may further comprise filler material such as, for example, recycled material (e.g., paper, cardboard, rubber, plastics, metal, fibers and minerals), glass fiber, carbon fiber, reinforcement steel mesh, organic fiber (e.g., bamboo or banana), or material intended to add specific properties (e.g., fire-retardant material or anti-ballistic material).
- the core layer 44 may comprise thermoplastics, foaming agents, and filler material in proportions suitable to allow the core layer 44 to fuse with the lower layer 42 and the upper layer 46 to form an aggregate material 60.
- the lower layer 42 can be dispensed into the lower open-topped mold 20, such that the lower surface 50 is in contact with the lower open-topped mold 20.
- the core layer 44 can be dispensed into the lower open-topped mold 20 over the lower layer 42.
- the core layer 44 may include foaming agents and filler material. The foaming agent and/or the filler material may be pre-mixed with the core layer 44 and dispensed simultaneously as a constituent of the core layer 44. Additionally or alternatively, each of the core layer 44 constituents can be dispensed as individual layers.
- the upper layer 46 can be dispensed into the lower open-topped mold 20 over the core layer 44.
- the powder dispensing unit can be any device capable of loading measured amounts of fine grain material and/or coarse grain material.
- the sidewalls 24 and the base 25 of the lower open-topped mold 20 can move vertically with respect to one another to assist with the loading of the heat moldable material 40. For example, the sidewalls 24 may be lowered to a predetermined location with respect to the base 25 when one or more layers of the heat moldable material 40 are dispensed.
- a roller or a plane tool may be indexed by the sidewalls 24 and remove excess material that extends above the sidewall 24 to ensure the desired amount of material is loaded in the lower open- topped mold 20.
- the heat moldable material 40 may be dispensed into the lower open-topped mold 20, when the lower open-topped mold 20 is not aligned with the upper mold 30. Accordingly, heat moldable material 40 may be loaded into one or more lower open-topped molds 20 by one or more powder dispensing units, while another lower open-topped mold 20 is aligned with the upper mold 30.
- a lower open-topped mold 20 housing the heat moldable material 40 may be aligned with the upper mold 30.
- position sensors 36 may detect the orientation of the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30 along the x-axis and the z-axis.
- the controller 26 can cause the actuation assembly 12 to generate relative inward motion of the lower open- topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30.
- the upper mold 30 can be lowered into contact with the upper surface 48 of the heat moldable material 40, and the lower open-topped mold 20 can contact the lower surface 50 of the heat moldable material 40. Accordingly, the heat moldable material 40 can be enclosed by the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30.
- the embodiments described herein may optionally include step 150 and step 160.
- the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30 can be heated with the heating system to a pre -heat temperature.
- the pre-heat temperature may be any temperature wherein the lower layer 42 and the upper layer 46 fuses into a viscous material and the foaming agent remains below its activation temperature.
- the pre-heat temperature can be up to about 350° C, in another embodiment, such as for example, from about 130° C to about 310° C, in still another embodiment, from about 190° C to about 220° C, and in yet another
- the lower layer 42 can be fused into a viscous lower layer 58 and the upper layer 46 can be fused into a viscous upper layer 56.
- the controller 26 can cause the actuation assembly 12 to generate relative inward motion between the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30.
- the viscous lower layer 58 and the viscous upper layer 56 can be formed according to a flow process 200.
- the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30 can be heated to the pre-heat temperature.
- the controller 26 can receive a position measurement from the position sensor 36. The controller 26 can determine if the position indicates that the combined thickness of the fusing material has reached a desired thickness.
- the desired thickness can be set in accordance with the process recipe and can be about 10 mm for a process recipe for making a building board. If the measured thickness is less than or equal to the desired thickness (indicated in FIG. 3 with a "+"), the controller 26 can cause the flow process to proceed to step 212. At step 212, the flow process ends.
- the controller 26 can cause the flow process 200 to proceed to step 206.
- the controller 26 can receive a force measurement from the pressure sensor 34.
- the controller 26 can determine if the force measurement exceeds a flow force limit.
- the flow force limit can be set in accordance with the process recipe and can be from about 0.2 kN to about 1 kN in one embodiment, and in another embodiment, for example, about 0.5 kN such as for a process recipe for making a building board. If the force measurement exceeds the flow force limit (indicated in FIG. 3 with a "+”), the controller 26 can cause the flow process to proceed to step 212. If the force measurement does not exceed the flow force limit (indicated in FIG. 3 with a "-”), the controller 26 can cause the flow process to proceed to step 208.
- the controller 26 can receive a force measurement from the pressure sensor 34.
- the controller 26 can determine if the force measurement is less than the flow force limit. If the force measurement is less than the flow force limit (indicated in FIG. 3 with a "+"), the controller 26 can cause the flow process to proceed to step 210.
- the controller 26 can cause the actuation assembly 12 to incrementally move to generate relative inward motion between the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30.
- the size of the increment may be set such that in operation the molds move at a desired rate.
- the desired rate can be set in accordance with the process recipe.
- the desired rate can be less than about 2 mm/minute in one embodiment, and in another embodiment, for example, about 1.6 mm/min (about 0.026 mm/sec) such as for a process recipe for making a building board. If the force measurement is not less than the flow force limit (indicated in FIG. 3 with a "-"), the controller 26 can cause the flow process to proceed back to step 204.
- the upper mold 30 and the lower open-topped mold 20 can be heated to a foaming temperature at step 170.
- the foaming temperature can be any temperature suitable to cause the foaming agent to reach its activation temperature.
- the foaming agent can be heated to its activation temperature causing the core layer 44 to transform into a foam 54.
- filler material can be inserted into the foam 54 through the sidewalls 24 of the lower open-topped mold 20.
- the foam exerts a force (i.e., back pressure) upon the upper mold 30 and the lower open-topped mold 20.
- the upper mold 30 and the lower open-topped mold 20 can be moved outward with respect to one another based upon the back pressure. Accordingly, the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30 can maintain close contact with the heat moldable material 40.
- the foam 54 can be formed according to a foam process 300.
- the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30 can be heated to the foaming temperature.
- the foaming temperature may be any temperature wherein the heat moldable material 40 fuses and the foaming agent reaches its activation temperature.
- the foaming temperature can be up to about 350° C, in another embodiment, such as for example, from about 140° C to about 280° C, in still other embodiment from about 190° C to about 220° C, and about 210° C in yet another embodiment.
- the controller 26 can receive a foam force measurement from the pressure sensor 34.
- the controller 26 can determine if the foam force measurement exceeds a foam force limit plus a foam tolerance.
- the foam force limit and the foam tolerance can be set in accordance with the process recipe.
- the foam force limit can be in one embodiment from about 1 kN to about 20 kN, and in another embodiment, for example, about 0.5 kN such as for a process recipe for making a building board.
- the foam tolerance can be in one embodiment from about 0 kN to about 5 kN, and in another embodiment, for example, about 0.2 kN such as for a process recipe for making a building board. If the foam force measurement exceeds the foam force limit plus the foam tolerance (indicated in FIG.
- the controller 26 can cause the foam process 300 to proceed to step 306.
- the controller 26 can cause the actuation assembly 12 to incrementally generate relative outward motion between the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30.
- the size of the increment may be set such that in operation the molds move at an expansion rate sufficient to respond to the rate of expansion of the foaming agent at the foaming
- step 306 the controller 26 can cause the foam process 300 to proceed to step 304.
- the controller 26 can cause the flow process to proceed to step 308.
- the controller 26 can receive a foam force measurement from the pressure sensor 34. The controller 26 can determine if the foam force measurement is less than a foam force limit minus the foam tolerance. If the foam force measurement is less than the foam force limit minus the foam tolerance (indicated in FIG. 5 with a "+"), the controller 26 can cause the foam process 300 to proceed to step 310.
- the controller 26 can cause the actuation assembly 12 to incrementally generate relative inward (i.e., bringing together) motion between the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30. The size of the increment may be set such that in operation the molds move at a contraction rate sufficient to respond to the rate of contraction of the foaming agent during the foaming process.
- the controller 26 can cause the foam process 300 to proceed to step 304.
- the controller 26 can cause the foam process 300 to proceed to step 312.
- the controller 26 can receive a position measurement from the position sensor 36.
- the controller 26 can determine if the position indicates that the heat moldable material 40 is less than a nominal thickness plus a foam offset.
- the nominal thickness and the foam offset can be set in accordance with the process recipe.
- the nominal thickness can be in one embodiment from about 5 mm to about 50 mm, in another embodiment about 8 mm to about 20 mm, and in still another embodiment, for example, about 8 mm such as for a process recipe for making a building board.
- the foam offset can be in one embodiment from about 0.2 mm to about 1.5 mm, and in another embodiment, for example, about 1 mm such as for a process recipe for making a building board. If the measured thickness is less the heat moldable material 40 is less than a nominal thickness plus a foam offset (indicated in FIG. 5 with a "+"), the controller 26 can cause the foam process 300 to proceed back to step 304.
- the controller 26 can cause the foam process 300 proceed to step 314. At step 314, the foam process 300 ends.
- the upper mold 30 and the lower open-topped mold 20 can be cooled to a cooling temperature at step 180.
- the cooling temperature can be any temperature suitable to solidify the aggregate material 60 into a stable product for handling or further processing.
- the cooling temperature can be in one embodiment from about 30° C to about 80° C, and in another embodiment, for example, about 50° C such as for a process recipe for making a building board.
- the foam 54 may contract to reduce the back pressure upon the upper mold 30 and the lower open-topped mold 20.
- the upper mold 30 and the lower open-topped mold 20 can be moved inward with respect to one another based upon the back pressure. Accordingly, the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30 can maintain close contact with the heat moldable material 40 during cooling, for example, as discussed hereafter. It is to be appreciated that by close contact it is meant that the upper mold 30 maintains contact substantially over the entire surface area of the upper surface 48 of the building material during at least the cooling process such that bowing i.e.,
- the heat moldable material 40 can be cooled according to a cooling process 400.
- cooling devices 16 may be activated by the controller 26 to cool the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30.
- the controller 26 can receive a cooling force measurement from the pressure sensor 34. The controller 26 can determine if the cooling force measurement is less than the foam force limit. If the cooling force measurement is less than the foam force limit (indicated in FIG. 5 with a "+"), the controller 26 can cause the cooling process 400 to proceed to step 406. If the cooling force measurement is greater than or equal to the foam force limit (indicated in FIG. 5 with a "-”), the controller 26 can cause the cooling process 400 to proceed to step 410.
- the controller 26 can receive a position measurement from the position sensor 36. The controller 26 can determine if the position indicates that the heat moldable material 40 is greater than a nominal thickness. If the measured thickness is greater than the nominal thickness (indicated in FIG. 5 with a "+"), the controller 26 can cause the cooling process 400 to proceed to step 408. If the measured thickness is less than or equal to the nominal thickness (indicated in FIG. 5 with a "-"), the controller 26 can cause the cooling process 400 to proceed back to step 404.
- the controller 26 can cause the actuation assembly 12 to incrementally generate relative inward motion between the lower open-topped mold 20 and the upper mold 30.
- the size of the increment may be set such that, in operation, the molds move at a rate sufficient to respond to the rate of contraction of the foaming agent during the cooling process.
- the controller 26 can cause the cooling process 400 to proceed back to step 404.
- the controller 26 can receive a temperature measurement from the temperature sensor 38. The controller 26 can determine if the temperature measurement indicates that the heat moldable material 40 is greater than the cooling temperature. If the temperature measurement is greater than the cooling temperature (indicated in FIG.
- the controller 26 can cause the cooling process 400 to proceed back to step 404. If the temperature measurement is less than or equal to the cooling temperature (indicated in FIG. 5 with a "-"), the controller 26 can cause the cooling process 400 to proceed to step 412. At step 412, the cooling devices 16 may be deactivated by the controller 26. The cooling process 400 can then proceed to step 414, where the cooling process 400 terminates.
- the above described process may be used in one embodiment according to a process recipe for making a building board, that is also described above, to form such building boards having a total thickness of about 18 mm (about 3/4 inch), skin layers from about 1 to about 1 1 ⁇ 2 mm thick and a core layer about 15 mm thick.
- Such building boards can be made up to about 10 cm total thickness with skin layers from about 0.5 mm to about 7 mm thick following the described process recipe.
- various attributes of the process recipe such as, but not limited to, temperatures, forces, thicknesses, inward increments, and outward increments can be adjusted to achieve other desired output aggregate materials, such as for example, simulate natural stone, simulated natural brick, simulated stone veneer, simulated brick veneer, tile, simulated natural timber, siding, engineered lumber, and any other such desired manufactured/composite/layered building material.
- the process recipe may depend upon the attributes (e.g., size, shape, amount, proportion, chemistry) of the fine grain material, the coarse grain material, the foaming agent, and or the filler material.
- a heat moldable material 40 may be formed, as described herein, into an aggregate material 60 comprising a lower skin layer 62, an upper skin layer 66, and a core layer 64 integrally formed there between.
- the lower skin layer 62 can form a lower surface 70 and the upper skin layer 66 can form an upper surface 68.
- Each of the lower surface 70 and the upper surface 68 can be formed into a desired shape according to the molding systems described herein.
- the core layer 64 may have cellular voids formed therein, which may yield a relatively light structure, e.g., as compared to a corresponding natural building material.
- the core layer may be impregnated with filler material as described herein.
- the aggregate material 60 can be removed from the system 10 via ejector pins (not depicted) integral with the lower open-topped mold 20 and/or the upper mold 30.
- the lower open-topped mold 20 and/or the upper mold 30 can be heated by the heating system to a temperature that facilitates removal.
- the base 25 and the sidewalls 24 of the lower open-topped mold may move relative to one another to eject the aggregate material 60.
- the base 25 may slide vertically.
- the sidewalls 24 are shaped to impart features upon the aggregate material 60 (e.g., tongues and/or grooves)
- the sidewalls 24 may be removed and or rotate about the base 25.
- the aggregate materials 60 can be formed with a batch processing layout where powder dosing, mold interlocking, heating, pressing, cooling, and/or removal are each performed at separate locations along a production line and/or by different machines.
Landscapes
- Casting Or Compression Moulding Of Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
Abstract
Un mode de réalisation de l'invention porte sur un système (10) pour former des matériaux d'agrégat, lequel système peut comprendre un moule à dessus ouvert inférieur (20), un moule supérieur (30), un ensemble d'actionnement (12), un système de chauffage, un capteur de pression (34), et un dispositif de commande (26). Le moule à dessus ouvert inférieur (20) peut recevoir un matériau pouvant être moulé à la chaleur, qui peut comprendre un agent moussant. Le moule à dessus ouvert inférieur (30) peut venir en contact avec le matériau pouvant être moulé à la chaleur et le moule supérieur (30) peut venir en contact avec le matériau pouvant être moulé à la chaleur. Le dispositif de commande (26) peut exécuter une logique de commande lisible par une machine pour provoquer la génération par l'ensemble d'actionnement (12) d'un mouvement vers l'extérieur selon un taux d'expansion. L'agent moussant peut faire subir au matériau pouvant être moulé à chaud une expansion quand il est chauffé. Pendant un mouvement vers l'extérieur, le moule à dessus ouvert inférieur (20) peut conserver un contact étroit avec le matériau pouvant être moulé à chaud, et le moule supérieur (30) peut conserver un contact étroit avec le matériau pouvant être moulé à chaud. Le taux d'expansion du mouvement vers l'extérieur relatif peut être basé sur un signal de pression indicatif d'une contre-pression.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US13/246,327 US8801414B2 (en) | 2010-03-25 | 2011-09-27 | Systems for forming aggregate materials from heat fusable powdered materials |
PCT/US2012/057234 WO2013049132A1 (fr) | 2011-09-27 | 2012-09-26 | Systèmes pour former des matériaux d'agrégat à partir de matériaux en poudre pouvant fondre à la chaleur |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP2760655A1 true EP2760655A1 (fr) | 2014-08-06 |
Family
ID=47019154
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP12772847.5A Withdrawn EP2760655A1 (fr) | 2011-09-27 | 2012-09-26 | Systèmes pour former des matériaux d'agrégat à partir de matériaux en poudre pouvant fondre à la chaleur |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP2760655A1 (fr) |
CA (1) | CA2849108A1 (fr) |
WO (1) | WO2013049132A1 (fr) |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN116118092B (zh) * | 2023-04-14 | 2023-09-22 | 西安峰见智能电子有限公司 | 一种eps泡沫塑料模具 |
Family Cites Families (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3642400A (en) * | 1969-11-06 | 1972-02-15 | Kurt Salmon Associates Inc | Apparatus for encapsulating an article within molded polyurethane |
JPS62148217A (ja) | 1985-12-23 | 1987-07-02 | Gunei Kagaku Kogyo Kk | 繊維板の製造方法 |
DE50110586D1 (de) * | 2000-06-07 | 2006-09-14 | Fraunhofer Ges Forschung | Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Herstellung von geschäumten thermoplastischen Formteilen |
JP3954827B2 (ja) | 2001-10-03 | 2007-08-08 | 株式会社矢板加工産業 | モミガラ、ワラを表面材としたボードの製造方法 |
ITBZ20020032A1 (it) * | 2002-08-06 | 2004-02-07 | Intercable Srl | Procedimento di iniettofusione di materiale termoplastico |
DE10260278A1 (de) * | 2002-12-20 | 2004-07-08 | Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag | Verfahren zur Herstellung eines Schichtkörpers sowie Vorrichtung zur Durchführung des Verfahrens |
ITMI20041515A1 (it) * | 2004-07-27 | 2004-10-27 | Antonio Vismara | "materiale composito con proprieta' di assorbimento dell'energia migliorate e metodo per produrre tale materiale" |
JP4259573B2 (ja) * | 2005-12-27 | 2009-04-30 | 積水化学工業株式会社 | 発泡成形体及び発泡成形体の製造方法 |
US8328547B2 (en) * | 2007-05-11 | 2012-12-11 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Plastic Technology Co., Ltd. | Injection foam molding machine and method of injection foam molding |
DE102009028987B9 (de) * | 2009-08-28 | 2014-05-15 | Erlenbach Gmbh | Vorrichtung und Verfahren zum Herstellen von Schaumstoffblöcken |
-
2012
- 2012-09-26 CA CA2849108A patent/CA2849108A1/fr not_active Abandoned
- 2012-09-26 EP EP12772847.5A patent/EP2760655A1/fr not_active Withdrawn
- 2012-09-26 WO PCT/US2012/057234 patent/WO2013049132A1/fr active Application Filing
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
See references of WO2013049132A1 * |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2013049132A1 (fr) | 2013-04-04 |
CA2849108A1 (fr) | 2013-04-04 |
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