Polymer fabrication methods
AssigneeConstruction Services Queensland Pty Ltd
InventorStephen Mark Gallehawk
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There is provided a polymer fabrication method for forming 3-dimensional shapes from a sheet polymer blank (10) by machining at least one re-entrant, elongate groove forming a reduced thickness portion (25) permitting the blank to be folded and having opposed edges (12) at the surface, folding the blank about the groove to form at least a portion of the 3-dimensional shape, the re-entrant of the groove forming an elongate chamber (21) adjacent the reduced thickness portion and opening through an elongate gap (20) between the opposed edges, hot air welding the opposed edges across the gap with filler rod (22), and heating the reduced thickness portion to a selected thermo-reforming temperature via the chamber.
Claims22
A polymer fabrication method including the steps of:
- providing a sheet polymer blank of selected thickness and of shape selected corresponding to a selected 3-dimensional shape;
- machining at least one re-entrant, elongate groove across a surface of said blank, said elongate groove forming a reduced thickness portion permitting said blank to be folded and having opposed edges that overhang the reduced thickness portion at said surface, and the elongate groove, prior to folding, having an obround cross section adjacent to the reduced thickness portion;
- folding said blank about said groove to form at least a portion of said 3-dimensional shape, said groove forming an elongate chamber adjacent said reduced thickness portion and opening through an elongate gap between said opposed edges;
- hot air welding said opposed edges across said gap with filler rod;
- and
- heating said reduced thickness portion to a selected thermo-reforming temperature via said chamber.
An HDPE fabrication method including the steps of:
- providing a sheet HDPE blank of selected thickness and of shape selected corresponding to a selected 3-dimensional shape;
- machining at least one re-entrant, elongate groove across a surface of said blank, said elongate groove forming a reduced thickness portion permitting said blank to be folded and having opposed edges that overhang the reduced thickness portion at said surface, and the elongate groove, prior to folding, having an obround cross section adjacent to the reduced thickness portion;
- folding said blank about said groove to form at least a portion of said 3-dimensional shape, said groove forming an elongate chamber adjacent said reduced thickness portion and opening through an elongate gap between said opposed edges;
- hot air welding said opposed edges across said gap with filler rod whereby welding exhaust air passes into said chamber and heats said reduced thickness portion to a selected thermo-reforming temperature.
An HDPE fabrication method including the steps of:
- providing a sheet HDPE blank of selected thickness and of shape selected corresponding to a selected 3-dimensional shape;
- machining at least one re-entrant, elongate groove across a surface of said blank, said groove forming a reduced thickness portion permitting said blank to be folded and having opposed edges that overhang the reduced thickness portion at said surface;
- folding said blank about said groove to form at least a portion of said 3-dimensional shape, said groove forming an elongate chamber adjacent said reduced thickness portion and opening through an elongate gap between said opposed edges;
- hot air welding said opposed edges across said gap with filler rod whereby welding exhaust air passes into said chamber and heats said reduced thickness portion to a selected thermo-reforming temperature,
- wherein said hot air welding is performed by a PLC-controlled robotic process responsive to at least a temperature sensor associated with the welding tip,
- wherein the PLC-controlled robotic process includes a PLC-controlled polymer and feeder and a PLC-controlled air heating unit such that the welding tip receives polymer welding rod from the PLC controlled polymer rod feeder and the welding tip heating air is supplied to the PLC-controlled air heating unit via an air flow monitor to trigger an on signal from the PLC to the heating element of the air heating unit, and an off signal if air flow drops to de-activate the heating unit and feeder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.