GB2328175A

GB2328175A - Method for making a surfboard

Info

Publication number: GB2328175A
Application number: GB9716920A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ching Hsi Chen
Original assignee: Sun Own Industrial Co Ltd; Sun Own Ind Co Ltd
Current assignee: Sun Own Industrial Co Ltd; Sun Own Ind Co Ltd
Priority date: 1997-08-12
Filing date: 1997-08-12
Publication date: 1999-02-17
Also published as: GB9716920D0

Abstract

A method for making a surfboard includes providing a lower mold 52 and an upper mold 51 which together define a mold cavity in which are received a plate 40 and a body of foam material 30 and hot-pressing and melting the foam material 30 to allow it to be melted to fill the mold cavity, and to allow the foamable material and the plate to be adhered together to form the surfboard. The surfboard is easily and quickly manufactured without cutting and trimming processes. The foam material and the plate may be made from polyethylene or ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.

Description

METHOD FOR MAKING SURFBOARD The present invention relates to a method for making a surfboard.

Typical surfboards are normally made of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) material. As shown in FIGS. 6-8, a board 1 of EVA material is first formed by such as foaming process and is then cut along the lines 2 in order to form one or more prototypes 3 of the surfboards. The corners 31 of the prototypes 3 are then cut off along the lines 32 for forming the surfboards of required size and shape. The manufacturing processes are complicated. In addition, once the foamed EVA material on the outer peripheral portion of the surfboard is cut off, the EVA material may absorb water. In addition, organism may grow in the EVA material and thus bad odor may be generated.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a method for making a surfboard without cutting process and without cutting the materials for forming the surfboard.

According to the present invention there is provided a method for making a surfboard, the method comprising: - a) providing a lower mold and an upper moid,- the lower mold and the upper mold including a mold cavity having a shape corresponding to that of the-surfboard, b) providing and engaging a plate and & foamable material in the mold cavity of the lower mold and the upper mold, and c) hot-pressing the lower mold and the upper mold for heating and melting the foamable material and the plate and for allowing the foamable material and the plate to be melted and filled in the mold cavity of the lower mold and the upper mold, and for allowing the foamable material and the plate to be melted and adhered together and for forming the surfboard.

The mold cavity of the lower mold and the upper mold includes tapered side portions for forming tapered sides and tapered nose and tapered tail of the surfboard.

The method includes a means for hot-pressing the lower mold and the upper mold and having two housings for receiving the lower mold and the upper mold respectively and having means for forcing the housings and the lower mold and the upper mold together. The housings each includes a plurality of passages for receiving heating medium and for heating the lower mold and the upper mold and the foamable material and the plate. The heating medium is heated to a temperature ranging from 120 to 1800C, and the lower mold and the upper mold are heated for 3 to 15 minutes.

In the drawings: FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a mold device for performing the method of the invention; FIGS. 2, 3, 4 are cross sectional views of the mold device, illustrating the processes of the method; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the surfboard made by the method of the invention; FIG. 6 is a partial plane view showing a board for forming the prototypes of the surfboards of the typical manufacturing method; FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the typical surfboard; and FIG. 8 is a plane view illustrating the cutting operation of the typical surfboard.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5, a method is provided for making a surfboard 10 (FIG. 5) without cutting process. As shown in FIG. 1, a piece of foamable material 30 and a plate 40 are to be used for making the surfboard and for allowing the foamable material 30 and the plate 40 to be secured together without adhesive materials. The foamable material 30 and the plate 40 may be selected from EVA or poly ethylene (PE), or the combination thereof. It is preferable that the plate 40 includes a hardness greater than that of the foamable material 30 for forming a stronger bottom for the surfboard. As shown in FIG. 5, the surfboard 10 includes two tapered side portions 12 and a tapered nose 11 and a curved and tapered tail 13 and a flat deck 14 where may be formed with trademarks, or flat or spatial patterns.

Referring again to FIG. 1, an upper mold 51 and a lower mold 52 each includes a mold cavity 511, 521 having tapered side portions 54 corresponding to the tapered sides 12 of the surfboard. The molds 51, 52 each includes a surface 53 for contacting and engaging with each other. The molds 51, 52 are secured in two housings 60 each of which includes a number of passages 61 for receiving heating medium and for forming a heating device that may heat the molds 51, 52 and that may heat the foamable material 30 and the plate 40. As shown in FIGS. 2-4, two or more fasteners 80 may engage with two pairs of extensions 81, 82 that may be extended from the molds 51, 52 or from the housings 60, for pressing the molds 51, 52 together. The fasteners 80 may be the piston rods of the actuators, such as hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders.

Referring next to FIG. 2, the foamable material 30 and the plate 40 includes a thickness greater than the depth of the mold cavities 511, 521 such that the molds 51, 52 may be separated from each other for a small gap, before the foamable material 30 and the plate 40 are hot-pressed. The foamable material 30 and the plate 40 include a quantity or size determined by the size of the mold cavities 511, 521 and will be filled in the mold cavities 511, 521 after hot-pressed or melted. It is preferable that the plate 40 includes a size equals to that of the bottom surface of the mold cavity 521 of the lower mold 52 (FIGS. 2-4).

Referring next to FIGS. 3 and 4, the molds 51, 52 are then hot-pressed toward each other by the fasteners 80 and heating medium is supplied into the passages 61 of the housings 60 for heating the molds 51, 52 and for heating and melting the foamable material 30 and the plate 40. The heating medium, such as steam, preferably includes a temperature ranging from 120 to 1800C, and the molds 51, 52 are preferably heated for 3 to 15 minutes. The heating time may be shortened if the heating temperature of the heating medium is increased.

After hot-pressed, the foamable material 30 and the plate 40 may both be melted and may be solidly secured together and may expand to fill the mold cavities 511, 521. Cold water or cold air may then be supplied into the housings 60 for cooling the molds 51, 52 and for cooling the foamable material 30 and the plate 40 and for forming the surfboard as shown in FIG. 5.

The foamable material 30 and the plate 40 may be solidly adhered together and formed into the required shape of the surfboard without cutting processes, such that the surfboard may be made quickly and may include a smooth outer surface such that no organism may grow in the EVA material and no bad odor may be generated.

The mold cavities 511, 521 may be machined to form any required shape corresponding to that of the surfboard.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method for making a surfboard, said method comprising: providing a lower mold and an upper mold, said lower mold and said upper mold including a mold cavity having a shape corresponding to that of the surfboard, providing and engaging a plate and a foamable material in said mold cavity of said lower mold and said upper mold, and hot-pressing said lower mold and said upper mold for heating and melting said foamable material and said plate and for allowing said foamable material and said plate to be melted and filled in said mold cavity of said lower mold and said upper mold, and for allowing said foamable material and said plate to be melted and adhered together and for forming the surfboard.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mold cavity of said lower mold and said upper mold includes tapered side portions for forming tapered sides and tapered nose and tapered tail of the surfboard.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said method includes a means for hot-pressing said lower mold and said upper mold and having two housings for receiving said lower mold and said upper mold respectively and having means for forcing said housings and said lower mold and said upper mold together.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said housings each includes a plurality of passages for receiving heating medium and for heating said lower mold and said upper mold and said foamable material and said plate.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said heating medium is heated to a temperature ranging from 120 to 1800C, and said lower mold and said upper mold are heated for 3 to 15 minutes.

6. A method substantially as herein described with reference to FIGS. 1-5 of the accompanying drawings.