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US 10,786,971 B2Granted
Method for making a running board having an in-situ foam core
OwnerRichard W. Robertsinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A plastic article is recited having a plastic shell including walls defining a cavity. Within the cavity is an in-situ foam core including expanded polymer beads. A layer of the expanded polymer beads includes a layer of distorted beads adjacent to the walls. The in-situ foam core has a thermal bond to the walls.
Claims8
A method for making a running board for a motor vehicle, the method comprising:
- extruding a vertically aligned elongate heated plastic tube between two mold sections which when closed form a mold cavity in the shape of a running board for a motor vehicle;
- closing the mold cavity and introducing pressurized gas into the heated plastic tube to blow mold the heated plastic tube into conformity with the mold cavity to form a plastic shell having a shell wall defining an internal cavity;
- inserting a plurality of spaced apart steam pins into the internal cavity projecting through the shell wall while still in the mold cavity;
- cutting a fill hole in an upper region of the plastic shell while still in the mold cavity;
- introducing pre-expanded polymer beads into the plastic shell through the fill hole;
- introducing steam into a first sub-group of the plurality of steam pins into the heated beads while evacuating the steam from a second sub-group of the plurality of steam pins;
- introducing steam into the second sub-group of the plurality of steam pins into the heated beads while evacuating the steam from the first sub-group of the plurality of steam pins;
- wherein the steaming steps heat the expanded polymer beads while the plastic shell is in the mold internal cavity causing the beads to partially melt, distort and fuse together forming a foam core having a layer of distorted beads adjacent to the shell wall forming a thermal bond to the shell wall;
- introducing pressurized air into a first sub-group of the plurality of steam pins while evacuating the air and evaporated steam condensate from a second sub-group of the plurality of steam pins to cool the foam core and plastic shell;
- introducing pressurized air into a second sub-group of the plurality of steam pins while evacuating the air and evaporated steam condensate from a first sub-group of the plurality of steam pins to further cool the foam core and plastic shell;
- and
- upon cooling the foam core and plastic shell withdrawing the steam pins, opening the mold and removing the plastic shell having its internal cavity filled with a foam core thermally bonded to the shell wall.
9 more elements
A method for making a running board for a motor vehicle, the method comprising:
- extruding a vertically aligned elongate heated plastic tube between two mold sections which when closed form a mold cavity in a shape of a running board for a motor vehicle;
- closing the mold cavity and introducing pressurized gas into the heated plastic tube to blow mold the heated plastic tube into conformity with the mold cavity to form a plastic shell having a shell wall defining an internal cavity;
- inserting a plurality of spaced apart steam pins into the internal cavity projecting through the plastic shell wall while still in the mold cavity;
- cutting a fill hole in an upper region of the plastic shell while still in the mold cavity;
- introducing pre-expanded polymer beads into the plastic shell through the fill hole;
- introducing steam into a first sub-group of the plurality of steam pins into the heated beads while evacuating the steam from a second sub-group of the plurality of steam pins;
- introducing steam into the second sub-group of the plurality of steam pins into the heated beads while evacuating the steam from the first sub-group of the plurality of steam pins;
- wherein the steaming steps heat the expanded polymer beads while the plastic shell is in the mold cavity causing the beads to partially melt, distort and fuse together forming a foam core having a layer of distorted beads adjacent to the shell wall forming a thermal bond to the shell wall;
- introducing pressurized air into one of the first or second sub-group of the plurality of steam pins while evacuating the air and evaporated steam condensate from the other first or second sub-group of the plurality of steam pins to cool the foam core and plastic shell;
- and
- upon cooling the foam core and plastic shell withdrawing the steam pins, opening the mold and removing the plastic shell having its internal cavity filled with a foam core thermally bonded to the shell wall.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.