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US 2023/0025840 A1Published application
A flexible foaming process for producing thermally insulated articles
AssigneeBASF SE
InventorsHendrik WAGNER, Marko Grever, Joachim Holle, Joerg Krogmann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flexible discontinuous process produces a series of at least two articles containing thermally insulating polyurethane foam from at least three streams (A), (B) and (C). The process involves mixing the at least three streams with different mixing ratios and injecting the mixture into cavities of the articles. A production unit can be used for performing this process.
Claims19
1:
- A discontinuous process for producing a series of at least two articles containing thermally insulating polyurethane foam from at least
- a stream (A) comprising at least one isocyanate reactive compound,
- a stream (B) comprising at least one organic polyisocyanate, and
- a stream (C) comprising at least one compound selected from the group consisting of isocyanate reactive compounds, organic polyisocyanates, catalysts, blowing agents, chain extenders, stabilizers, crosslinkers, flame retardants, and additives, wherein stream (C) is different from both streams (A) and (B);
- wherein the process comprises:
- (a) producing at least one first article containing a first thermally insulating polyurethane foam by
- (a1) providing a first polyurethane reaction mixture in a mixing device (MD) by mixing at least two of streams (A), (B), and (C);
- (a2) injecting the first polyurethane reaction mixture provided in (a1) into a cavity of the at least one first article and forming the first thermally insulating polyurethane foam;
- and
- (b) producing at least one second article containing a second thermally insulating polyurethane foam by
- (b1) providing a second polyurethane reaction mixture in the mixing device (MD) by mixing at least two of streams (A), (B), and (C);
- (b2) injecting the second polyurethane reaction mixture provided in (b1) into a cavity of the at least one second article and forming the second thermally insulating polyurethane foam;
- wherein a mixing ratio of streams (A), (B), and (C) in (a1) is different from a mixing ratio of streams (A), (B), and (C) in (b1),
- wherein the amount of stream (C) may be zero either in (a1) or in (b1), and
- wherein in case the amount of stream (C) is not zero in (a1) or (b1), an amount of either stream (A) or (B) may be zero.
12 more elements
2:
- The process according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first article and the at least one second article differ in at least one physical and/or chemical property.
3:
- The process according to claim 1, wherein each of the first thermally insulating polyurethane foam and the second thermally insulating polyurethane foam is a rigid closed-cell polyurethane foam.
4:
- The process according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first article and the at least one second article are each selected from the group consisting of refrigerators;
- freezers;
- insulating boxes for cold and hot goods;
- water heaters;
- hot water storage tanks;
- insulation boards;
- and pipes.
4 more elements
5:
- The process according to claim 1, wherein in (a1) and/or (b1), the streams (A), (B), and (C) are fed simultaneously into the mixing device (MD), or
- wherein in (a1) and/or (b1), two of the streams (A), (B), and (C) are premixed and fed into the mixing device (MD) simultaneously with a remaining stream of the streams (A), (B), and (C).
6:
- The process according to claim 1, wherein in (a1) and (b1), the streams (A), (B), and (C) are provided from separate reservoirs for each of streams (A), (B), and (C), respectively, wherein each of the separate reservoirs are connected with the mixing device (MD) during (a1) and (b1).
7:
- The process according to claim 1, wherein in (a1) and/or (b1), an amount of each of streams (A), (B), and (C) is not zero.
8:
- A computer implemented process for producing a series of at least two articles containing thermally insulating polyurethane foam, the process comprising:
- performing the process according to claim 1 with a control unit,
- wherein mixing ratios in (a1) and (b1) are controlled by the control unit which is configured to control the feeding of the streams (A), (B), and (C) in (a1) and (b1) into the mixing device (MD).
9:
- The computer implemented process according to claim 8, wherein the control unit is programmed to repeat (a) with a first predefined mixing ratio for a first predefined number of times and to repeat (b) with a second predefined mixing ratio for a second predefined number of times.
10:
- The computer implemented process according to claim 8, wherein information about the at least one first article and the at least one second article is provided to the control unit by a sensor reading a sensor readable information tag provided with the at least one first article and the at least one second article, and/or
- wherein information about ambient conditions of production is provided to the control unit by a sensor for detecting the information about the ambient conditions of production.
11:
- The computer implemented process according to claim 10, wherein the sensor readable information tag is a RFID (radio-frequency identification) chip or a 2D code.
12:
- The computer implemented process according to claim 10, wherein the sensor for detecting the information about the ambient conditions of production detects at least one ambient condition parameter selected from the group consisting of temperature, humidity, and air pressure.
13:
- The computer implemented process according to claim 10, wherein the information about the at least one first article and the at least one second article and/or the information about the ambient conditions of production provided to the control unit either contains the mixing ratio of the streams (A), (B), and (C), or is aligned with data about the mixing ratio from a data base for determining the mixing ratio;
- and
- wherein the control unit adjusts the feeding of the streams (A), (B), and (C) into the mixing device (MD) in (a1) and (b1) according to the mixing ratio.
14:
- A production unit for producing a series of at least two articles containing thermally insulating polyurethane foam according to the computer implemented process according to claim 8, the production unit comprising:
- the mixing device (MD);
- separate reservoirs for each of the streams (A), (B), and (C) connected with the mixing device (MD);
- a mold carrier for the housing of the at least one first article and the at least one second article;
- and
- the control unit configured to control the feeding of the streams (A), (B), and (C) into the mixing device (MD) from the reservoirs for each of the streams (A), (B), and (C), wherein the control unit controls mixing ratios of the streams (A), (B), and (C) in (a1) and (b1) into the mixing device (MD), so that the mixing ratio of streams (A), (B), and (C) in (a1) is different from the mixing ratio of streams (A), (B), and (C) in (b1).
3 more elements
15:
- The production unit according to claim 14, further comprising a sensor for reading sensor readable information tags and/or a sensor for detecting ambient conditions of production.
16:
- The production unit according to claim 15, wherein the production unit comprises an access to a data base containing information for determining the mixing ratios of the streams (A), (B), and (C) to be fed in the mixing device (MD) based on information provided by the sensor for reading sensor readable information tags from sensor readable information tags and/or from the sensor for detecting ambient conditions of production.
(canceled)
18:
- A non-transitory computer-readable medium, having stored thereon instructions to execute the computer implemented process according to claim 8, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable readable controls a production unit comprising:
- the mixing device (MD);
- separate reservoirs for each of the streams (A), (B), and (C) connected with the mixing device (MD);
- a mold carrier for the housing of the at least one first article and the at least one second article;
- and
- the control unit configured to control the feeding of the streams (A), (B), and (C) into the mixing device (MD) from the reservoirs for each of the streams (A), (B), and (C), wherein the control unit controls mixing ratios of the streams (A), (B), and (C) in (a1) and (b1) into the mixing device (MD), so that the mixing ratio of streams (A), (B), and (C) in (a1) is different from the mixing ratio of streams (A), (B), and (C) in (b1).
3 more elements
19:
- The computer implemented process according to claim 11, wherein the 2D code is at least one selected from the group consisting of a QR (quick response) code, a variant of a QR code, a data matrix, an Aztec code, a JAB (just another bar code) code, and a bar code.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.