Method and apparatus for forming an article of manufacture and an article of manufacture made by a new and novel process
OwnerJoseph Wycechinventor
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Abstract
A method 10 to selectively produce an article of manufacture 20 having desirable properties and which may replace many “ceramic based” articles. Particularly, the article of manufacture 20 is made by selectively combining an epoxy structural foam material 110 with a catalyst 111 and a drying agent 200. The mixed material is then selectively dispensed within a mold 16 and allowed to harden in order to form the article of manufacture 20. Alternate formulations may be utilized. Other various non-limiting embodiment of the invention are also disclosed.
Claims57
1) A method of creating an article of manufacture, said method comprising the steps of providing a structural epoxy foam material;
- providing a catalyst;
- mixing the structural epoxy foam resin material with the catalyst, thereby creating a certain mixture;
- creating a mold;
- placing the certain mixture within said created mold;
- and allowing the certain mixture to harden within the created mold, thereby forming the article of manufacture.
13) A method of creating an article of manufacture, said method comprising the steps of providing a syntactic cement material;
- providing a catalyst;
- mixing said syntactic cement material with said provided catalyst, thereby creating a certain mixture;
- creating a mold;
- placing said certain mixture within said created mold;
- and allowing said certain mixture to harden within said created mold, thereby creating said article of manufacture.
21) An apparatus for selectively forming an article of manufacture, said apparatus comprising a mold;
- a reservoir of a catalyst;
- a reservoir of a structural foam material;
- a pump which is physically and communicatively coupled to said reservoir of structural foam material;
- a mixing head assembly which is physically and communicatively coupled to said pump and which includes an auxiliary input port and an output port;
- a source of gas which is physically and communicatively coupled to said auxiliary input port;
- a mixing assembly which is physically and communicatively coupled to said output port of said mixing head assembly;
- and a controller which is controllably coupled to said pump, to said source of gas, and to said mixing assembly and wherein said controller is adapted to selectively cause at least a portion of said reservoir of structural foam material to be communicated to said input port of said mixing head assembly while causing at least a portion of said source of gas to be communicated to said auxiliary input port of said mixing head assembly, thereby causing at least said portion of said source of gas to mix with said at least said portion of said reservoir of structural foam within said mixing head assembly to form a certain material, said controller further selectively causing said formed certain material to be communicated to said mixing assembly and causing said formed certain material to mix with at least a portion of said catalyst material within said mixing assembly to form a certain second material and further selectively causing at least a portion of said formed certain second material to be selectively dispensed from said mixing assembly to said mold, thereby allowing said certain second material to form said article of manufacture within said mold.
32) An apparatus for selectively forming an article of manufacture, said apparatus comprising a mold;
- a reservoir of a catalyst;
- a reservoir of a syntactic cement;
- a pump which is physically and communicatively coupled to said reservoir of syntactic cement;
- a mixing head assembly which is physically and communicatively coupled to said pump and which includes an auxiliary input port and an output port;
- a source of gas which is physically and communicatively coupled to said auxiliary input port;
- a mixing assembly which is physically and communicatively coupled to said output port of said mixing head assembly;
- and a controller which is controllably coupled to said pump, to said source of gas, and to said mixing assembly and wherein said controller is adapted to selectively cause at least a portion of said reservoir of syntactic cement to be communicated to said input port of said mixing head assembly while causing at least a portion of said source of gas to be communicated to said auxiliary input port of said mixing head assembly, thereby causing at least said portion of said source of gas to mix with said at least said portion of said reservoir of syntactic cement within said mixing head assembly to form a certain material, said controller further selectively causing said formed certain material to be communicated to said mixing assembly and causing said formed certain material to mix with at least a portion of said catalyst material within said mixing assembly to form a certain second material and further selectively causing at least a portion of said formed certain second material to be selectively dispensed from said mixing assembly to said mold, thereby allowing said certain second material to form said article of manufacture within said mold.
38) An article of manufacture made by the process of mixing a structural foam material with a catalyst material to form a selectively mixed material;
- placing the selectively mixed material into a mold;
- and allowing the selectively mixed material to harden within the mold, thereby forming said article of manufacture.
47) An article of manufacture made by the process of mixing a syntactic cement material with a catalyst material to form a selectively mixed material;
- placing the selectively mixed material into a mold;
- and allowing the selectively mixed material to harden within the mold, thereby forming said article of manufacture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.