NL2008862C2 - METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A (GARDEN) FURNITURE, (GARDEN) FURNITURE, AND PLASTIC WIRE FOR USE IN A (GARDEN) FURNITURE. - Google Patents

Description

METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A (GARDEN) FURNITURE, (GARDEN) FURNITURE, AND PLASTIC WIRE FOR USE IN A

(GARDEN) FURNITURE

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a (garden) furniture from a plastic thread.

Such a method is known in various embodiments and with various results.

A known application is the manufacture of wires which are assembled into a braid for the manufacture of seats, backrests, armrests and other parts of furniture, such as chairs, tables, tables, sun beds and the like, inter alia for outdoor use, such as garden furniture . It is noted that the described braid is traditionally used for wicker structures such as baskets, chairs and the like. Such a braid is often referred to internationally as a "wicker".

The wires for the applications described may have any desired cross-sectional shape and dimensions.

For example, round wires, half-round wires, crescent-shaped wires, more or less flat wires and any other desired shape.

The wires, when used in a wicker, must meet certain minimum requirements of mechanical strength to, for example, support the weight of a seated person. Since the weight of a seated person is distributed over a large number of threads, no exceptionally high demands are placed on the individual tensile strength and elongation resistance of the threads. In general, the aim will be to prevent, as far as possible, the known "sagging" by creeping of the plastic, i.e. a continuous elongation under the same tensile stress, as this adversely affects the appearance of the products.

The trade and the consumer place various different demands on the products, in particular the wires that are incorporated therein. Desired properties can be, for example: an anti-bacterial effect, an anti-fungal effect, an anti-algae effect, a water and / or dirt-repellent effect, UV stability and UV resistance, an aesthetic aspect such as color, texture, gloss, metallic appearance, and specific haptics, for example soft touch.

It is an object of the invention to provide a method for manufacturing (garden) furniture, which makes it possible to manufacture (garden) furniture from high-quality wires at substantially lower costs than usual in the prior art, while retaining, for example, the desired properties mentioned.

To achieve this object, the invention provides a method for manufacturing a (garden) furniture, comprising the steps of: a) manufacturing a plastic wire, comprising a core and a sheath enveloping the core, wherein step a) comprises the following steps comprises: a) providing a co-extrusion device with a co-extrusion head, the exit opening of which has a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the wire to be manufactured, which shape comprises a core part and a casing part, which parts connect individually to 30 respective feeds for respective plastic masses plasticized under temperature increase; 3 a2) pressing the plastic masses through those parts under pressure to form a plastic wire with a core and a jacket; and a3) allowing the wire to cool; B) assembling the plastic wire produced in step a) into a braid for the manufacture of seats, and c) manufacturing the (garden) furniture of the braid produced in step b).

It is emphasized that the method can also be carried out with pultrusion.

Such a method is particularly advantageous, which comprises step d) using recycled material to form the core.

In general, the use of plastics with less high-quality properties is discouraged. According to the invention, however, the use of a less high-quality plastic does not harm the overall properties of the wire 20 in such a way that this would stand in the way of the use of a recycling material.

After the technical service life of the wires has elapsed, they can be incorporated together in a totality, that is to say the core and the jacket, in a recycling process. In this connection, the use of a high-quality material for the casing even has the advantage that the quality of the recycling material thus obtained is thereby improved.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the method comprises step e) using a material or a mixture of materials 4 to form the jacket, each of which materials or mixture of materials has a specific desired property, for example: a anti-bacterial effect; 5 an antifungal effect; an anti-algae effect; a water and dirt-repellent effect; UV stabilization and UV resistance; an aesthetic aspect such as color, texture, gloss, metallic appearance; and haptics, for example, soft-touch, such as a poly-alpha olefin.

It is to be understood that with this aspect according to the invention it is achieved that the proportion of expensive high-quality plastic and additives can remain extremely limited, namely only the thin shell, and hardly contributes to the total production costs, but plays a decisive role in the technical and visual qualities of the wickers.

In yet another embodiment of the method according to the embodiment, the method comprises step f) using a mixture of a plastic and a foaming agent for forming the core, such that the core of the manufactured wire contains foam-plastic .

A wire obtained by this method has the advantage of containing less material and thereby being inexpensive, relatively flexible and light. As explained above, the tensile strength of the wires is subject to relatively small requirements, which can easily be met with wires with a foam-plastic core.

Yet another embodiment of the method comprises step 5 g) performing step a) with a co-extrusion head with a closed central zone such that the manufactured wire has a hollow core. A wire obtained with this method also has the advantage of a low weight and relatively great flexibility.

With regard to the relatively great flexibility, it is noted that this makes it easier to weave the wires into a wicker than with the known relatively rigid wires according to the prior art.

Suitable base material, to which the invention is not limited, seems to be, inter alia, HDPE, high-density polyethylene. However, other suitable plastics are also considered.

In order to achieve a "soft-touch" aspect, the jacket 15 should give a certain feeling of softness when touched. For this purpose use can be made of plastomers, such as poly-alpha olefins or (hydrogenated) styrene-butadiene-styrene block polymers.

In the case of a core containing foam-plastic and / or hollow, the effective material saving can be in the order of a few tens of percent, such that the weight of such a wire is, for example, in the order of 50-70% of the weight of a correspondingly formed solid wire.

The invention furthermore relates to a (garden) furniture, comprising a braid, which braid comprises a wire, which wire comprises a plastic core and a plastic jacket enveloping the core.

Further aspects of the (garden) furniture according to the invention are included in claims 6-11.

The invention furthermore relates to a plastic wire for use in a braid for a (garden) furniture, 6 comprising a plastic core and a plastic jacket enveloping the core.

In order to realize the advantages of the invention described above, it will generally be highly preferred if the composition of the material of the core differs from the composition of the material of the enveloping plastic shell. The properties of the mantle ultimately determine the aesthetic impression, such as color and texture, and also for haptic properties, such as, for example, soft-touch.

Significantly cheaper than a wire according to standard technology is a wire in which the core contains recycled material.

Furthermore, a thread in which the sheath 15 contains a material or mixture of materials is of great importance, each of which materials or mixture of materials has a specific desired property, for example: an anti-bacterial action; an antifungal effect; 20 an anti-algae effect; a water and dirt-repellent effect; UV stabilization and UV resistance; an aesthetic aspect such as color, texture, gloss, metallic appearance; and haptics, for example soft touch, such as a poly alpha olefin.

Relatively light and flexible are wires in which the core contains foam-plastic and / or in which the core is hollow.

Finally, the invention is directed to a wire made by performing one of the methods described above.

The invention will now be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings. A number of 7 cross-sections of different types of wires according to the state of the art (figures 1 and 2) and according to the invention (figures 3-7) are shown in the drawings.

Figure 1 shows a cross-section for a round wire 5 according to the prior art.

Figure 2 shows a more or less crescent-shaped wire according to the prior art.

Figure 3 shows a round wire, comprising a solid core and a jacket, according to the invention.

Figure 4 shows a more or less crescent-shaped wire, with a solid core and a jacket, according to the invention.

Figure 5 shows a round wire with a porous foam-plastic core and a jacket.

Figure 6 shows a round wire with a hollow core and a jacket.

Figure 7 shows a round wire with a core consisting of two parts, namely a foam central part and a solid cylindrical part and a jacket.

Figure 8 shows the wire according to Figure 2 with a more or less flat structure.

Figure 9 shows the wire according to Figure 3 with a more or less flat structure.

Figure 10 finally shows the wire according to Figure 5 with a more or less flat structure.

Figure 1 shows a solid plastic wire 1 according to the prior art. The wire has a round cross-sectional shape.

Figure 2 shows a wire 2 according to the prior art. Like the wire 1 according to figure 1, the wire 2 consists of a solid plastic mass of a single material. The wire 2 has a generally crescent-shaped cross-sectional shape, also referred to as a sickle shape.

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Figures 3-7 show wires according to the invention, which can be manufactured in particular by means of co-extrusion. Each wire comprises a core and a core enveloping sheath. The core and the jacket are made of different materials or material compositions, whereby the core and the jacket have different properties.

Figure 3 shows a round wire 3 with a plastic core 4 and a plastic sheath 5. The core can for instance be made of a low-grade PE, in particular HDPE, while the sheath 5 must be regarded as high-quality in that sense properties that are familiar to the outside world are incorporated in this. This concerns, for example, the color, antibacterial additives, anti-fungal additives, algae-resistant additives, dirt-repellent additives, UV stabilizers, a desired color or color pattern, texture, gloss, a metallic appearance or a specific haptic, such as a soft touch. In the latter case, the jacket 5, for example a poly-alpha olefin, may contain such a proportion that the desired soft touch is realized, while, for example, other plastics provide the desired mechanical properties, such as toughness.

Figure 4 shows a wire 6 with a general half-moon shape. The wire comprises a core 7 and a jacket 8.

Figure 5 shows a wire 9 with a core 10 foamed during the extrusion process and a solid sheath 11.

Figure 6 shows a wire 12 with a core 13 that has a central cavity 14. A sheath 15 extends around the core 13.

Figure 7 shows a wire 16 with a core consisting of two parts 17, 18. The part 18 is a central part of 9 foamed plastic and the part 17 is a surrounding cylindrical core part. A jacket 19 extends around the cylindrical core part 17.

With regard to Figures 3-7, it is noted that these are not necessarily shown to scale. It is to be understood that the effective diameter or the largest linear dimension of the crescent-shaped wire is of the order of, for example, 2-15 mm and that the thickness of the sheath may, for example, be of the order of a few tens (1 m). However, such a ratio cannot be properly represented in the drawing.

With regard to the technical concept of "co-extrusion", it is noted that this is a generally known and customary process. In the context of the present invention, therefore, it is not necessary to draw a co-extrusion device and to describe it in detail. It will suffice with the general remark that during extrusion and during co-extrusion use is made of an extrusion head or co-extrusion head, the opening of which has a shape corresponding to the shape of the extrudate to be produced, in this case a thread, which is customary taking to take into account the shrinkage of the plastic that occurs when cooling a hot extrudate to a no longer plastic, more or less flexible wire.

With regard to the concept of "wickerwork" or "wicker", it is noted that this too is a generally known and customary concept. It is customary to use a number of more or less straight wires (traditional reed stalks for the manufacture of baskets and the like), which are situated at approximately equal distances from each other and between which transverse reed stems are arranged, with cross stems adjoining one another the waveform 10 is directed exactly opposite. Thus, a conventional structure of a wicker basket or chair seat is obtained.

However, the invention is not limited to the use of the co-extruded wires in such a braid.

For example, fabric-like structures can also be formed with the threads. Other applications of the wires are also within the scope of the invention.

With regard to the drawn and described exemplary embodiments of wires according to the invention, it is noted that the invention is not limited to those exemplary embodiments. For example, solid, so-called full-core parts can often also be made of foamed plastic. The cavity 14 in Figure 6 could also be filled with a foamed plastic. Such choices can be made on the basis of requirements to be imposed on the wire in question, for example mechanical requirements, such as flexibility, toughness, stretchability and tensile strength.

Other than the drawn round shapes can also be used. For example, the embodiments according to Figures 2, 3 and 5 could have a more or less flat structure, as shown in Figures 8, 9 and 10, respectively. In Figure 8, the wire 20 is the same as the wire 2 of Figure 2, but with a more or less flat structure, or with a more or less rectangular cross-section. In figure 9 the wire 21 is the same as the round wire 3 of figure 3, but then with a more or less flat structure, or with a more or less rectangular cross-section. The wire 21 comprises a plastic core 22 and a plastic sheath 23. In Figure 10, the wire 24 is the same as the round wire 9 of Figure 5, but then with a more or less flat structure, or with a more or less rectangular cross-section . The wire 24 comprises a core 26 foamed during the extrusion process and a solid sheath 25.

Claims (10)

Method for manufacturing a (garden) furniture, comprising the steps of: a) manufacturing a plastic wire, comprising a core and a sheath enveloping the core, wherein step a) comprises the following steps: a1) providing of a co-extrusion device with a co-extrusion head, the exit opening of which has a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the wire to be manufactured, which shape comprises a core part and a casing part, which parts connect individually to respective feeds for respective temperature-increase plasticized plastic masses; A2) pressing the plastic masses through those parts under pressure to form a plastic wire with a core and a jacket; and a3) allowing the wire to cool; b) assembling the plastic wire produced in step a) into a braid for manufacturing seats, and c) manufacturing the (garden) furniture of the braided fabric produced in step b). The method of claim 1, comprising the step of: d) using recycled material to form the core. Method according to claim 1, comprising the step of: e) using a material or a mixture of 3 materials to form the jacket, each of which 4 materials or mixture of materials a specific desired property, for example: an antibacterial action; an antifungal effect; an anti-algae effect; a water and dirt-repellent effect; 5 UV stabilization and UV resistance; an aesthetic aspect such as color, texture, gloss, metallic appearance; and haptics, for example soft-touch, such as a poly-alpha-polyolefin. 10 A method according to claim 1, comprising the step of: f) using a mixture of a plastic and a foaming agent to form the core, such that the core of the manufactured wire contains foam-plastic. 15 The method of claim 1, comprising the step of: g) performing step a) with a co-extrusion head with a closed central zone, such that the fabricated wire has a hollow core. 6. (Garden) Furniture comprising a braid, which braid comprises a wire, which wire comprises a plastic core and a plastic sheath enclosing the core. 7. (Garden) Furniture according to claim 6, wherein the core contains recycling material. 1 (Garden) Furniture according to claim 6, wherein the jacket contains a material or mixture of materials, each of which materials or mixture of materials has a specific desired property, for example: an anti-bacterial effect; an antifungal effect; an anti-algae effect; a water and dirt-repellent effect; UV stabilization and UV resistance; an aesthetic aspect such as color, texture, gloss, metallic appearance; and haptics, for example soft touch, such as a poly-alpha olefin. 9. (Garden) Furniture according to claim 6, wherein the core 10 contains foam plastic. 10. (Garden) Furniture according to claim 6, wherein the core is hollow. 11. (Garden) Furniture according to claim 6, manufactured by performing a method according to any one of claims 1-5. 12. Plastic wire for use in a braid for a (garden) furniture, comprising a plastic core and a plastic jacket surrounding the core. The wire of claim 12, wherein the core contains recycle material. The thread of claim 12, wherein the sheath contains a material or mixture of materials, any of which materials or mixture of materials has a specific desired property, for example: an antibacterial action; 30 an antifungal activity; an anti-algae effect; a water and dirt-repellent effect; UV stabilization and UV resistance; an aesthetic aspect such as color, texture, gloss, metallic appearance; and haptics, for example soft touch, such as a poly-alpha olefin. 5 The wire of claim 12, wherein the core comprises foam plastic. The wire of claim 12, wherein the core is hollow. 10